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The    Bahai   Movement 


A  Series  of  Nineteen  Papers 


BY 
CHARLES  MASON  REMEY 


Published  in  the  Ninety-fifth  Year  after 
the  Birth  of  Baha'o'llah 


Second  Edition 


PRESS  OF 

D.  MILANS  &  SONS 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


PREFACE 


THESE  papers  treating  of  the  Bahai  Movement 
have  been  written  at  various  times  and  places 
during  the  past  two  years,  some  typewritten  copies 
of  which  have  been  circulated  among  people  interested 
in  the  work.  Because  of  the  growing  interest  in  the 
Bahai  Cause  and  the  increasing  demand  for  literature 
upon  the  subject,  it  now  seems  advisable  to  publish  these 
articles  in  book  form,  in  the  hope  that  they  may  be  of 
service  to  those  who  desire  more  knowledge  of  the 
Bahai  teaching. 

C.  M.  R. 

21  March,  1912, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


In  the  Persian  and  Arabic  languages  each  let- 
ter has  a  numerical  value  and  each  name  or  word 
has  as  its  numerical  value  the  sum  of  the  values 
of  its  component  letters.  A=l,  B=2,  H=5. 
Thus  9  is  the  numerical  value  of  the  name  Baha, 
and  this  number,  which  is  the  greatest  of  simple 
numbers,  is  used  by  the  Bahais  as  a  symbol  of 
the  name. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Page 

I.    INTRODUCTION      1 

11.    THE   BAB    6 

III.    BAHA'o'IvLAH     14 

IV.    ABDUL-BAHA     35 

V.    THE    MANIFESTATION    OE    THE    WORD 

OE  GOD 35 

VI.    RELATION    OE  THE   BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

TO  THE  RELIGIONS  OE  THE  PAST.  .    42 

1.  CHRISTIANITY     43 

2.  JUDAISM     45 

3.  ISLAM     47 

4.  ZOROASTRIANISM     49 

5.  HINDUISM      51 

6.  BUDDHISM      53 

7.  MODERN    THOUGHT    55 

RESUME    57 

VII.    THE  BAHAI  SACRED  WRITINGS 59 

VIII.    SOCIAL     REEORMS,     LAWS     AND     ORDI- 
NANCES       64 

IX.    THE  NEED  OE  THE  TIMES 72 

X.    ORIENTAL-OCCIDENTAL    UNITY 76 

XI.   ETERNAL   LIEE    80 

XII.    HEAVEN    AND    HELL 83 

XIII.  SCIENCE   AND   RELIGION 88 

XIV.  THE    SUPERNATURAL    90 

XV.    EDUCATIONAL   ASPECT   OE   THE   BAHAI 

TEACHING     91 

XVI.    THE  BAHAI  MOVEMENT  AND  THE  ECO- 
NOMIC   QUESTIONS    OE    THE   DAY    94 

XVII.    THE  EVOLUTION  OE  MAN 96 

XVIII.  THE  METHOD  OE  TEACHING  AND  THE 
GROWTH  OE  THE  BAHAI  MOVE- 
MENT         98 

XIX.   A    PERSONAL    TESTIMONY 103 


I. 

INTRODUCTION 

At  the  present  time  the  reHgious  world  is  in  a 
state  of  change.  It  has  broken  away  from  the 
cold  and  hard  creed  and  dogma  of  the  past,  and 
it  is  awakening  to,  and  reaching  out  for,  a 
broader  conception  of  truth — the  universal  re- 
ligion. This,  the  universal  religion,  is  what  The 
Bahai  Movement  offers  to  the  world. 

While  there  are  many  philosophies,  (re- 
ligion, because  of  man's  limitations,  has  taken 
upon  itself  many  and  varying  forms  of  thought) 
from  the  spiritual  view-point  there  is  but  one 
religion.  There  is  but  one  God  and  there  is  but 
one  spiritual  relation  between  HIM  and  the  in- 
dividual souls  of  men.  The  knowledge  of  the 
spiritual  relatfon  between  the  Creator  and  the 
created  is  the  one  only  and  true  religion.  It  is 
the  basic  principle  of  all  religious  systems,  and, 
shorn  of  the  superstitions  and  imaginations  of 
the  past,  it  will  be  the  religion  of  the  future. 

Through  knowing,  understanding  and  living 
the  principles  of  The  Kingdom,  men  will  become 
united ;  the  various  religions,  sects,  and  cults  will 
cease  to  exist  as  such,  and  all  men  will  live 
as  brothers.  The  Bahai  Movement  is  actually 
bringing  about  this  milennial  condition.  Through 
its  teaching  and  influence  the  spiritual  limi- 
tations of  an  undeveloped  humanity  are  disap- 
pearing, and  the  Truth,  which  is  the  love  of  God, 
is  manifesting  itself  here  on  this  earth  as  broth- 
erhood among  men. 

This  present  day  is  characterized  by  a  great 
spiritual  awakening,  the  like  of  which  has  never 
before  been  in  the  world.  This  awakening  is 
manifest  among  all  people,  in  all  countries,  and 
under  all  conditions.     During  the  past  sixty-five 

1 


2  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

years  the  world  has  entered  upon  a  new  spiritual 
era:  people  who  have  made  a  study  of  the  re- 
ligious work  of  today  realize  this  fact,  notwith- 
standing their  own  personal  view-points.  In  the 
Christian  world  we  see  the  effect  of  this  awaken- 
ing in  so  convincing  a  manner  that  illustrations 
are  unnecessary.  In  the  other  religions  the  same 
is  clearly  and  strikingly  visible  in  the  many 
changes  and  movements  which,  in  these  latter 
years  have  characterized  Judaism,  Islam,  Hin- 
duism and  Buddhism.  This  spiritual  awakening 
is  universal.  It  manifests  itself  differently  un- 
der varying  conditions,  social,  racial  and  re- 
ligious, but  considered  as  a  whole,  it  indicates 
that  now  the  soul  of  the  world  is  awake  and 
searching,  and  that  nothing  short  of  the  uni- 
versal truth  will  appease  its  hunger  and  quench 
its  thirst.  It  is  this  universal  soul-need  which 
the  Bahai  teaching  is  meeting  and  satisfying. 

The  teachers  and  prophets,  the  founders  of 
the  world-religions,  have  been  seers  as  well  as 
channels  of  truth  to  the  people  of  their  days. 
Through  spiritual  understanding  and  wisdom, 
they  foresaw  this  latter-day  universal  awakening 
and  demand  for  truth.  They  also  foresaw  the 
supply  for  this  demand  in  the  coming  of  another 
channel  of  divine  grace,  the  Latter-Day  Messiah. 
This,  the  greatest  of  all  manifestations,  they 
prophesied  would  arise  with  spiritual  under- 
standing and  power,  reveal  and  demonstrate  the 
universal  truth,  which  exists  in  all  religions,  and 
unite  all  men  and  establish  the  universal  religion, 
the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  That  this  mani- 
festation, the  greatest  of  all  GOD'S  Messengers, 
has  come  is  the  message  that  the  Bahai  Move- 
ment is  giving  to  the  world. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  religions  of  the 
world  were  considered  as  isolated  and  separate 


the:  bahai  movement  3 

one  from  another,  with  no  connection  what- 
ever; but  now,  in  the  light  of  this  new  teaching, 
all  are  seen  to  have  emanated  from  the  one 
source — which  is  GOD.  As  parts  of  one  great 
body,  they  are  organically  connected.  Each  has 
been  a  step  leading  humanity  to  a  higher  concep- 
tion of  the  Creator  and  preparing  souls  for  the 
time  when  all  men  would  unite,  worshipping 
HIM  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Thus  one  prophet 
appeared,  building  upon  the  foundation  of  His 
predecessors,  fulfilling  their  prophecies  and  ac- 
complishing the  hopes  of  their  followers  by 
leading  humanity  on,  a  stage  further,  in  soul  de- 
velopment. Each  prophet  prepared  the  way  for 
the  coming  of  the  succeeding  prophetic  dispen- 
sation. In  this  way  have  all  religious  movements 
of  the  past  been  integral  parts  of  the  foundation 
of  God's  Kingdom  here  on  earth,  whose  com- 
pleted structure  now  is  appearing  in  the  Revela- 
tion of  Baha'o'llah,  in  which  the  prophecies, 
hopes  and  fniits  of  all  religions  are  realised. 

The  Bahai  Movement  offers  to  the  world  a 
teaching  applicable  to  the  modern  needs  of  hu- 
manity. It  offers  religion  renewed.  All  truth 
emanates  from  "The  Word  of  God"  and  through 
GOD'S  mouth-pieces.  His  anointed  ones,  it 
comes  into  the  world  for  the  soul-quickening  of 
humanity.  The  teachings  of  all  religions  in  their 
beginning  were  pure  but,  as  time  passed,  man- 
created  philosophy  and  thought  crept  in  killing 
the  pure  spirit  of  truth  until,  finally,  little 
remained  save  creed,  dogma  and  ceremony. 
So,  a  purer  conception  of  truth  being 
needed,  another  divine  revelation  appeared.  To- 
day the  creeds  and  dogmas  of  the  past  are  with- 
out spiritual  potency.  A  new  spiritual  quicken- 
ing is  necessary,  and,  as  of  old,  GOD  has  again 
revealed  His  Word,  that  all  men,  of  all  nations 


4  THE   BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

and  of  all  races,  may  receive  more  abundantly 
than  ever  before,  His  spirit.  This  He  has  ac- 
complished through  the  three  inspired  leaders  of 
the  Bahai  Movement;  through  The  Bab,  who 
was  the  herald  and  the  First  Point  of  this  Reve- 
lation; through  Baha'o'llah,  who  was  the  re- 
vealer  of  The  Word;  and  now  through  Abdul- 
Baha,  who  is  the  expounder  of  The  Word,  in 
whom  all  things  are  fulfilled. 

Going  back  to  the  dawn  of  history  one  finds 
the  family  to  be  the  unit  of  civilization.  Later 
on,  many  families  are  found  uniting  under  a  pa- 
triarch, forming  a  clan  or  tribe.  Still  later  are 
found  federations  of  clans  or  tribes,  from  which 
nations  have  come  into  existence.  Now  the  next 
step  is  the  absorbing  of  all  nations  and  races  into 
one  great  world  people.  This  is  the  order  of  the 
progress  of  mankind,  and  in  the  fruit  of  the 
teachings  of  Baha'o'llah  is  seen  the  beginning  of 
this  great  end.  Civilization  is  the  product 
of  religion.  Each  of  the  world's  civili- 
zations had  its  birth  in  a  religious  move- 
ment. Civilization  has  always  been  the 
fruit  of  the  spiritual  awakening  of  a  people 
who,  by  political  and  geographical  barriers,  were 
isolated  from  external  influences.  In  this  day 
geographic,  political  and  social  barriers  have, 
through  travel  and  communication,  been  oblit- 
erated until  now  man  is  limited  only  by  the  con- 
fines of  this  planet.  We  are  on  the  threshold 
of  an  universal  epoch.  That  which  aflfects  one 
people  politically,  socially  or  financially,  afifects 
the  whole  world,  and  the  great  universal  civ- 
ilization so  rapidly  advancing  is  casting  its  signs 
before.  In  the  Bahai  teaching  is  the  spiritual 
power  to  unite  men's  souls.  It  is  forming  a  spir- 
itual nucleus  from  which  will  spring  the  univer- 


the:   BAHAI    MOVKME^NT  5 

sal  civilization  to  be,  of  the  magnitude  of  which 
we  can  now  form  no  conception 

Today,  has  begun  a  new  order  of  things  upon 
the  earth.  Mankind  is  attaining  spiritual  ma- 
turity, and  is  demanding  more  spiritual  food 
than  the  old  forms  and  dogmas  of  religion  can 
give  him.  Through  spiritual  enlightenment,  ig- 
norance is  being  dispelled,  causing  a  change  of 
soul — a  change  in  man's  nature — and  this  change 
is  being  felt  the  world  round.  The  mission  and 
object  of  the  Bahai  Movement  is  the  uniting  of 
men  of  all  nations,  religions  and  races  in  the 
love  of  GOD  and  the  brotherhood  of  man.  Its 
teaching  is  constructive.  It  fulfills  the  highest 
hopes  of  the  religions  of  the  past,  and  is  uniting 
all  men  in  the  great  universal  religion  of  the  fu- 
ture. 


II. 

THE  BAB. 

Mirza  Ali  Mohammed,  known  as  The  Bab,* 
was  born  in  October,  1819,  in  the  city  of  Shiraz, 
in  southern  Persia.  His  father,  a  Seyed  or  de- 
scendant of  the  prophet  Mohammed,  died  during 
his  infancy,  whereupon  the  young  child  was 
adopted  into  the  family  of  an  uncle,  a  man  of 
virtue,  who  reared  Him,  giving  Him  such  ele- 
mentary education  in  the  Persian  language  as 
was  customary  among  the  sons  of  the  merchant 
class  to  which  He  belonged.  On  attaining  ma- 
turity Mirza  Ali  Mohammed  went  into  business 
with  His  uncle  and  was  for  some  time  located 
in  Bushire  upon  the  Persian  Gulf.  As  a  young 
man  He  was  noted  for  purity,  gentleness,  and 
charm.  Even  those  who  afterwards  opposed 
and  persecuted  Him  and  His  followers  so  cruelly, 
never  attacked  His  personal  character.  Much 
religious  meditation,  they  claimed,  had  unbal- 
anced His  mind. 

On  May  23d,  1844,  moved  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  Mirza  Ali  Mohammed  gave  His  teachings  to 
the  world.  At  that  time  from  various  parts  of 
Persia,  were  gathered  together  in  Shiraz  eight- 
een prepared  souls,  men  of  wisdom  to  whom  it 
had  been  given  to  understand  spiritual  realities, 
and  to  these  chosen  disciples  Mirza  Ali  Moham- 
med revealed  His  mission.  He  was  the  door 
("Bab")  or  forerunner  of  a  great  prophet  and 
teacher  soon  to  appear.  He,  The  Bab,  had  been 
divinely  sent  as  a  herald  to  warn  the  people  of 
the  coming  of  The  Promised  One  and  to  exhort 
them  to  purify  themselves  and  prepare  for  His 
advent.    One — whom  He  entitled  "He  whom  God 

*"Bab"  is  the  Arabic  and  Persian  word  for  door  or  gate. 

6 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEME^NT  7 

shall  manifest,"  the  Latter-Day  Messiah,  prom- 
ised in  all  the  revealed  writings  of  the  past — 
was  soon  to  come  and  establish  The  Kingdom  of 
God  upon  earth. 

These  eighteen  first  disciples  of  The  Bab  were 
known  as  "The  Letters  of  The  Living".  They, 
with  Himself  as  ''The  Point,"  formed  the  nu- 
cleus for  the  dissemination  of  the  new  teach- 
ing. As  soon  as  The  Bab  had  instructed  these 
disciples  in  His  simple  doctrines,  He  sent  them 
into  various  parts  of  Persia  with  the  commis- 
sion to  teach  and  to  proclaim  His  appearance. 
He  then,  with  one  of  His  followers,  went  upon 
the  annual  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  where,  before 
a  concourse  of  over  one  hundred  thousand  pil- 
grims assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  Moslem 
world.  He  made  His  first  public  declaration. 
When  He  returned  to  Bushire,  His  cause  was 
known  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  and  was 
so  rapidly  gaining  adherents  that  ttie  members 
of  the  Mussulman  clergy  became  alarmed  lest 
through  the  rise  of  this  new  cult  they  might 
lose  their  hold  over  the  people.  Then  were  The 
Bab's  travels,  teachings,  and  trials  increased. 

From  Bushire  The  Bab  went  to  Shiraz  where 
He  was  roughly  treated  by  the  Moslems,  placed 
under  guard  and  ordered  to  remain  within  the 
confines  of  His  house.  There,  nevertheless,  many 
had  access  to  Him,  were  attracted,  and  believed 
in  His  teaching,  men  of  prominence  and  learn- 
ing as  w^ell  as  those  of  the  more  humble  walks 
of  life.  The  world  about  him  was  against  Him, 
yet  through  the  power  of  Divine  Love  He  over- 
came all  obstacles  and  won  the  hearts  of  the 
people. 

The  Bab  next  journeyed  to  Esphahan,  where 
by  that  time  He  had  many  followers.  There  He 
was   received   by   the   governor   of   the   city,    a 


8  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

Christian,  who  openly  acknowledged  belief  in 
Him  and  befriended  Him  in  many  ways,  giving 
Him  facilities  for  meeting  and  teaching  the 
people.  This  aroused  the  anger  of  the  clergy  to 
such  a  degree  that  the  priests  sought  to  put  The 
Bab  to  death.  Then  it  was  that  the  governor 
concealed  Him  in  the  official  quarters  where  He 
remained  for  some  time  in  safety. 

The  friendly  governor  dying  suddenly,  and 
The  Bab's  whereabouts  becoming  known,  an  or- 
der was  issued  by  the  government  in  Teheran 
for  Him  to  be  conveyed  thither.  Accordingly, 
under  guard  He  proceeded  toward  the  capital. 
In  the  cities  and  villages  along  the  route  of 
travel  His  message  had  preceded  Him,  and 
wherever  He  went  he  found  eager  listeners  and 
seekers  whose  souls  He  won.  Even  His  captors 
could  not  resist  the  spirit  which  flowed  from 
Him,  and  many  of  them  became  His  friends  and 
staunch  supporters. 

The  ministers  of  state  being  informed  of  the 
rapid  growth  of  the  Babi  Movement  and  fearing 
lest  The  Bab's  presence  in  Teheran  would  agi- 
tate the  clergy  and  possibly  produce  a  religious 
uprising,  another  order  was  issued  to  the  effect 
that  He  should  not  approach  the  city  but  tarry  in 
a  town  not  far  distant.  From  there  He  was  soon 
removed  to  the  fortress  of  Maku  in  the  extreme 
northwestern  part  of  Persia.  On  this  long, 
cross-country  journey.  The  Bab  passed  through 
many  cities  and,  as  always,  His  fame  spread 
widely,  and  many  believed  and  followed  in  His 
path. 

Among  the  most  prominent  of  The  Bab's  fol- 
lowers was  Kurratu  I'Ayn,  poet,  orator  and 
heroine  of  the  cause,  who,  after  an  eventful  ca- 
reer in  which  she  stood  forth  as  a  powerful  ex- 
ponent of   the   new   faith,   suffered   a  martyr's 


THE    BAHAl    MUVISMENT  9 

death.  As  a  woman  many  decades  ahead  of  her 
time,  her  Hfe  and  example  are  an  inspiration  to 
all,  and  especially  to  her  sisters  of  the  Orient 
who,  through  the  cause  for  which  she  died,  are 
now  being  lifted  from  their  former  condition 
of  ignorance  and  oppression  into  one  of  knowl- 
edge and  freedom. 

As  one  listens  to  the  accounts  of  the  lives  of 
the  early  Babis,  (The  Bab's  adherents  were 
known  as  Babis)  of  their  missions  and  labors, 
sufferings  and  martrydoms,  he  sees  the  wonder- 
ful spirit  of  the  love  of  God  which  actuated 
them  as  they  responded  to  the  call.  One  is 
thrilled  as  he  realizes  that  the  days  of  a  vital 
and  a  burning  faith,  such  as  moved  the  apostles 
and  fathers  of  old,  have  again  come  to  pass,  for 
this  latter-day  religion  is  bearing  the  same  man- 
ner of  spiritual  fruit  as  the  religions  of  the  past 
bore  in  their  earlier  days. 

The  daily  increase  in  the  numbers  of  The 
Bab's  followers  caused  the  Persian  authorities 
to  remove  Him  from  Maku  to  a  more  remote  im- 
prisonment in  the  castle  of  Chih-rik,  where  He 
could  be  more  closely  guarded  and  would  be 
less  likely  to  communicate  with  the  outside 
world.  At  length,  His  following  having  attained 
to  great  proportions,  the  clergy  became  thor- 
oughly alarmed  and  instigated  a  heresy  trial  or 
public  examination  of  His  doctrines.  This  in- 
vestigation was  held  in  Tabriz  by  the  authority 
of  the  governor  of  the  province,  and  before  the 
tribunal  The  Bab  was  brought  a  prisoner.  All 
manner  of  insults  and  indignities  were  heaped 
upon  Him,  and  finally  He  was  flogged,  one  of  the 
chief  mullahs  applying  the  rods  with  his  own 
hands.  After  this  The  Bab  was  returned  to  his 
former  prison  in  the  fortress  of  Chih-rik. 

About  this  time  began  the  early  persecutions 


10  the:  bahai  movement 

and  massacres  of  the  Babis  in  Persia.  Aroused 
by  their  priests,  the  fanatical  Moslems  fell  upon 
the  believers  in  many  parts  of  the  land,  pillaging 
and  burning  their  homes,  and  torturing  and  mur- 
dering men,  women  and  children.  These  crimes 
are  too  revolting  to  be  mentioned  in  detail.  The 
heart  seems  to  stand  still  when  listening  to  the 
accounts  of  the  marvelous  courage  and  fortitude 
of  even  the  children,  not  to  mention  that  of  the 
women  and  men.  These  souls  with  the  greatest 
calmness  and  joy  submitted  to  the  most  fiendish 
tortures  and  death  rather  than  recant,  or  deny 
their  faith,  when  denial  would  have  saved  them. 
One's  heart  beats  rapidly  when  he  realizes  that 
through  this  suffering  these  martyrs  were  light- 
ing the  way  that  people  might  be  prepared  to 
meet  the  One  promised  to  appear  and  establish 
The  Kingdom  upon  earth. 

Sometimes  Babi  fugitives  banded  themselves 
together  to  resist  the  attacks  of  the  Moslems, 
and  in  some  instances  they  defended  themselves 
bravely  only  to  be  slaughtered  in  the  end  by  the 
overwhelming  number  of  their  adversaries. 
That  "the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the 
church"  is  again  proven  to  the  world,  for  with 
the  shedding  of  each  drop  of  Babi  blood  the 
cause  gained  numbers  of  adherents.  People  who 
knew  little  or  nothing  of  The  Bab  and  His  teach- 
ings, save  that  a  great  prophet's  forerunner  had 
come,  were  confirmed  in  the  faith  and  went  forth 
to  serve,  and  to  die  when  called  upon. 

Islam  is  the  state  religion  of  Persia,  therefore 
that  which  shakes  its  power  produces  a  like  ef- 
fect in  the  workings  of  the  government.  At 
length,  seeing  the  cause  to  be  steadily  on  the 
increase,  the  prime  minister  of  the  state  ordered 
that  The  Bab  be  killed,  hoping  thus  to  put  an 
end  to  the  matter  and  to  place  himself  in  security 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  11 

with  the  clergy  and  the  people.  Accordingly,  The 
Bab  was  again  removed  from  the  prison  of  Chih- 
rik  and  taken  to  Tabriz,  the  seat  of  the  local 
government  of  the  province.  Here,  on  the  9th  of 
July,  1850,  He  suffered  martrydom. 

The  Bab,  with  one  of  His  most  devoted  fol- 
lowers, a  youth  of  noble  family,  was  conducted 
to  an  open  square  in  the  city  and  there  the  two 
were  bound  and  suspended  by  ropes  against  a 
wall.  A  company  of  Armenian  Christian  sol- 
diers was  drawn  up  and  the  order  to  fire  given. 
When  the  smoke  cleared,  however,  to  the  aston- 
ishment of  all  present  it  was  found  that  the  aim 
had  been  too  high,  and  instead  of  harming  the 
captives  the  ropes  had  only  been  severed  and  the 
two  captives  had  dropped  to  the  ground  unhurt. 
So  great  was  the  consternation  caused  by  this  in- 
cident that  the  commander  of  the  executing  com- 
pany refused  to  take  further  part  in  the  affair, 
and  another  company,  of  native  soldiers,  was  or- 
dered out  and  The  Bab  and  His  disciple  were 
again  suspended  before  the  wall.  The  ensuing 
volleys  riddled  both  bodies  with  bullets,  and 
death  was  instantaneous.  Later,  the  remains 
were  cast  out  into  a  moat  and  there  exposed  to 
public  view  as  a  warning  of  the  fate  which 
awaited  those  who  followed  the  new  faith. 

By  night  the  body  of  The  Bab  was  removed 
by  some  of  the  faithful,  and  after  being  swathed 
in  silk  it  was  disguised  as  a  bale  of  merchandise 
and  deposited  in  a  place  of  safety.  As  condi- 
tions and  wisdom  demanded,  from  time  to  time 
this  hiding  place  was  changed,  and  finally,  on 
the  21st  of  March,  1909,  in  the  presence  of  a 
notable  gathering  of  pilgrims  from  various  parts 
of  both  the  Orient  and  the  Occident,  the  body 
of  The  Bab  was  laid  to  rest  by  Abdul-Baha,  in 


12  THE    BAHAI    MOVEME:nT 

a  sarcophagus,  in  the  crypt  of  the  shrine  of  The 
Bab  in  the  Holy  Land. 

Although  The  Bab  was  without  learning  and 
schooling,  save  that  of  a  very  elementary  nature, 
yet  He  was  so  richly  endowed  with  spiritual  or 
inspirational  wisdom  that  He  discomfited  the 
learned  mullahs  until  they  feared  discussion  with 
him,  lest  the  people  should  see  the  weakness  of 
their  arguments  and  the  strength  of  His  teach- 
ings. He  wrote  with  the  greatest  rapidity  and 
fluency,  dictating  both  in  public  and  private  His 
many  treatises  upon  intricate  theological  ques- 
tions. 

During  the  four  years  of  The  Bab's  imprison- 
ment His  numerous  letters  and  epistles  were, 
with  the  greatest  difficulty,  smuggled  out  of  the 
prison  and  sent  to  the  followers  in  various  parts 
of  the  country.  These  writings  contain  His  in- 
junctions to  the  believers  for  their  guidance  and 
protection  until  the  coming  of  ''Him  whom  God 
shall  manifest." 

The  Bab's  ordinances  were  given  for  the  peo- 
ple of  his  time  only,  and  were  commensurable 
with  the  needs  and  conditions  of  the  believers 
during  the  interim  between  his  manifestation 
and  the  manifestation  of  the  greater  One  to 
come.  The  Bab  was  the  "First  Point"  of  this 
revelation,  the  precursor  of  the  greater  One. 
In  his  teachings  He  reiterated  again  and 
again  that,  when  ''He  whom  God  shall  mani- 
fest" appeared,  all  should  turn  unto  Him,  and 
that  He  would  reveal  teachings  and  ordinances 
which  would  replace  the  Babi  sacred  literature. 

It  is  a  matter  of  importance  to  note  that  the 
one  great  event  for  which  the  Bdbi  Movement 
paved  the  zvay,  was  the  manifestation  of  Baha- 
'o'llah,  treated  of  in  the  next  chapter.  It  should 
not  he  considered  as  a  later  development  of  the 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  13 

Bdbl  cause,  but  rather  the  Bab's  mission  should 
be  considered  as  simply  introductory  to  it. 
Running  through  The  Bab's  writings  are  found 
countless  allusions  to  the  spiritual  power,  splen- 
dor and  glory  of  Baha'o'llah,  who  was  then  in  the 
world,  but  unknown  to  men.  He  was  the  inspira- 
tion of  The  Bab,  to  Whom  The  Bab  continually 
testified  in  the  most  eloquent  and  stirring  of  his 
verses,  and  of  Whom  He  bore  witness  by  a  life 
of  suffering  and  imprisonment,  crowned  by  mar- 
tyrdom. 


III. 

BAHA  'O'  LLAH 

Mirza  Hussein  Ali  of  Noor,  more  widely 
known  as  Baha'o'llah,  was  born  in  Teheran,  Per- 
sia, on  the  12th  of  November,  1817.  His  family 
was  one  of  wealth  and  note,  His  father  as  well 
as  other  relatives,  having  been  ministers  of  the 
government,  serving  in  various  official  capacities. 

During  Baha'o'llah's  youth,  His  father  died, 
leaving  Him,  the  eldest  son,  as  the  head  of  the 
family.  Being  of  a  contemplative  disposition, 
the  public  life  which  His  father  had  led  had  no 
allurements  for  Baha'o'llah.  He  chose  instead, 
one  of  comparative  retirement,  managing  the 
family  estates  and  affairs,  and  supervising  the 
education  of  His  brothers  and  sisters.  Even  in 
His  youth  the  marks  of  wisdom  and  distinction 
were  upon  Him. 

In  His  home  Baha'o'llah  was  taught  the  Per- 
sian language,  and  wisdom,  knowledge  and  the 
deepest  of  spiritual  mysteries  were  His,  through 
His  own  studies,  meditations  and  inspirations. 
Later,  these  basic  principles  of  being  are  re- 
vealed in  His  writings  with  power  and  force. 
These  truths  are  the  foundation  of  the  Bahai 
cause.  They  are  living,  spiritual  principles,  for 
they  appeal  to  and  satisfy  the  soul,  and  meet 
all  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  needs  of  life. 

Baha'o'llah  never  attended  any  school  or  in- 
stitution of  learning.  His  knowledge  was  inspi- 
rational. It  came  from  the  source  of  all  knowl- 
edge, and  is  the  source  of  knowledge  for  all. 

At  the  time  The  Bab  made  His  declaration 
and  sent  his  disciples  forth  from  Shiraz,  Baha- 
'o'llah, then  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  was 
residing  in  Teheran.    When  the  glad  tidings  of 

14 


the:  bahai  moveme^nt  15 

The  Bab's  manifestation  reached  the  capital, 
Baha'o'llah  was  among  the  first  to  respond  to 
the  call,  and  He,  in  turn,  proclaimed  the  cause, 
upholding  it  firmly.  He  visited  the  city  of  Noor, 
the  home  of  His  family,  and  other  neighboring 
cities  and  towns,  where  He  engaged  in  expound- 
ing The  Bab's  teachings,  later  returning  to  Te- 
heran, there  again  to  take  up  His  work. 

The  Bab  and  Baha'o'llah  had  no  family  con- 
nection whatever,  the  former  being  of  Arabic- 
Persian  descent,  while  the  latter  was  of  ancient 
Persian  lineage.  These  two  never  met  in  person, 
yet  in  spirit  they  were  intimate  even  in  Their 
deepest  thoughts  and  inspirations.  Between 
Them  a  correspondence  was  established  which 
was  carried  on  up  to  the  last  days  of  The  Bab's 
mission  here  on  earth. 

When,  during  His  imprisonment  in  Chih-rik, 
The  Bab  foresaw  the  approaching  day  of  His  re- 
moval to  Tabriz  and  His  martyrdom,  He  sent  by 
faithful  followers  to  Baha'o'llah  a  package  con- 
taining a  number  of  His  writings,  His  pencase 
and  seal  ring.  At  that  time,  though  Baha- 
'o'llah was  known  only  as  His  staunch  supporter, 
yet  The  Bab  saw  in  Him  divine  signs  not  yet 
manifest  to  others. 

It  was  not  long  after  The  Bab's  martyrdom 
that  a  great  calamity  befell  the  believers.  A  cer- 
tain enthusiast,  who  (though  a  believer  in  The 
Bab)  was  quite  ignorant  of  the  teachings,  be- 
came unbalanced  through  brooding  over  the  per- 
secution and  slaughter  of  his  brother  believers, 
and  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  better  their  con- 
dition made  an  attempt  upon  the  life  of  the 
Shah  of  Persia.  The  guilty  one  was  imme- 
diately killed  by  the  royal  attendants.  Without 
inquiring  further  into  the  matter,  his  crime  was 
taken,  by  the  Shah  and  his  ministers,  as  a  dem- 


16  the:  bahai  move:ment 

onstration  of  the  Babis,  as  a  body,  against  the  gov- 
ernment. Then  the  innocent  were  made  to  suffer 
for  the  guilty.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  sea- 
son of  the  most  bloody  massacres  and  horrible 
torture  of  the  believers.  Even  to  be  suspected 
of  being  a  Babi  was — in  many  cases — sufficient 
to  cause  the  extinction  of  a  whole  family.  In 
Teheran  some  eighty  believers  were  handed  over 
by  the  government  to  the  Moslems  to  be  killed, 
each  being  subjected  to  some  unique  torture  be- 
fore the  final  slaying. 

It  was  a  time  of  greatest  trial  and  test  for  the 
Babis.  Each  calamity  was  followed  by  one,  more 
terrible;  yet  through  all,  the  wonderful  hope  of 
The  Promised  One  to  come  and  their  enthusias- 
tic love  and  devotion  to  the  memory  of  their 
martyred  master,  The  Bab,  upheld  and  strength- 
ened them  to  meet  every  kind  of  persecution. 

In  the  midst  of  these  troubles  Baha'o'llah  came 
boldly  to  the  front.  He  was  placed  under  ar- 
rest, and  spent  four  months  in  chains  in  the 
dungeon  of  one  of  the  Teheran  prisons.  Later 
on,  it  being  proved  that  He  was  innocent  of  any 
plot  against  the  government,  He  was  sent  by  the 
royal  order  into  exile  to  Baghdad  in  Asiatic 
Turkey.  There  it  was  thought  He  would  be  so 
far  removed  from  the  Babis  in  Persia  as  to  de- 
stroy His  prestige  as  leader  among  them.  These 
events  occurred  in  1852,  the  ninth  year  after  the 
declaration  of  The  Bab. 

Baha'o'llah's  exile  to  Baghdad  marks  an  im- 
portant epoch  in  the  development  of  the  cause, 
for  from  that  time  He  stands  preeminent  as  a 
power  in  that  persecuted  community. 

After  the  fury  of  the  massacres  of  1851-1852, 
the  Babis  were  in  a  deplorable  condition 
Many  of  the  disciples  and  personal  associates  of 
The  Bab  had  been  martyred,  while,  on  account 


the:  bahai  movkmknt  17 

of  the  troubles,  the  f^w  remaining  ones  who  had 
personally  been  taught  by  Him  were  all  but  cut 
off  from  association  with  the  younger  followers. 
It  had  not  been  possible  to  disseminate,  beyond  a 
very  limited  circle,  the  writings  of  The  Bab,  so 
that  the  vast  majority  of  the  believers  knew  little 
of  His  real  teachings.  In  addition,  they  were  actu- 
ated by  a  powerful  spirit  of  devotion  to  their 
cause;  a  devotion  which,  because  of  its  very  in- 
tensity, at  times  led  them  into  difficulties.  Here 
and  there  arose  false  claimants  for  The  Bab's 
successorship,  all  of  which  led  to  confusion  and 
trouble. 

This  was  the  condition  that  prevailed  when 
Baha'o'llah  reached  Baghdad.  Immediately  He 
directed  His  attention  and  energy  toward  bring- 
ing knowledge  and  assurance  to  the  followers. 
He  taught  them  the  real  significance  of  The 
Bab's  teachings  and  little  by  little,  through  un- 
derstanding, their  undirected  enthusiasm  found 
power  in  restraint  and  strength.  Thus  He  pre- 
pared them  to  recognize  by  their  spiritual  facul- 
ties. The  One  whose  coming  The  Bab  had  pro- 
claimed. 

The  Babis  now  increased  in  firmness  and 
steadfastness,  especially  those  in  Baghdad.  As 
the  fame  of  Baha'o'llah  spread  abroad,  men  of 
learning  came  to  converse  wi^^h  Him  and  listen 
to  His  teachings,  and  of  these  many  believed. 
As  the  believers  increased  in  number,  the  anger 
of  the  Moslem  clergy  was  aroused  and  this,  in 
turn,  gave  rise  to  other  serious  difficulties.  Baha- 
'o'llah was  then  led  to  seek  a  solitary  retreat  in 
the  mountain  fastness  of  Kurdistan,  where  He  re- 
mained for  two  years  in  spiritual  preparation  for 
His  coming  manifestation  and  ministry. 

Upon  Baha'o'llah's  return  to  Baghdad,  great 
was  the  joy  of  the  Babis.     By  that  time  they 


18  THE^   BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

were  realizing  their  spiritual  strength,  and  they 
welcomed  their  teacher  with  all  the  fervor  and 
enthusiasm  of  Oriental  devotees. 

Believers  from  various  parts  of  Arabia  and 
Persia  now  came  to  Baha'o'Uah,  seeking  knowl- 
edge from  Him.  Then  they  went  forth  again 
to  teach  with  a  deeper  understanding  than  be- 
fore, and  with  a  renewed  zeal  and  fervor;  and 
the  cause  grew  in  strength. 

These  developments  were  closely  watched  by 
the  Moslem  priests.  Fearful  of  the  loss  of  their 
own  hold  upon  the  people,  which  they  saw  wan- 
ing as  the  light  of  the  new  teachings  spread, 
the  priests  incited  the  government  against  Baha- 
'o'Uah, with  the  determination  to  do  all  they 
could  to  curb  His  power.  Accordingly,  after 
some  correspondence  between  the  Persian  and 
Turkish  governments,  an  international  arrange- 
ment was  formulated,  by  which  Baha'o'Uah  was 
ordered  to  proceed  to  Constantinople,  there  to 
await  the  pleasure  of  the  Ottoman  Sultan,  to 
whom  he  became  temporally  subject. 

Upon  hearing  that  their  chief  was  to  be  re- 
moved from  Baghdad,  the  believers  became  wild 
with  grief,  the  greatest  consternation  prevailing 
among  them.  A  number  of  them  prepared  to  ac- 
company Him  in  His  further  exile.  When,  in 
obedience  to  the  summons  of  the  Sultan,  Baha- 
'o'Uah left  Baghdad  previous  to  starting  on  His 
long  journey.  He  encamped  a  short  distance  from 
the  city  in  the  Garden  of  El  Rizwan.  There  He 
was  surrounded  by  some  of  His  most  devoted 
followers — believers  in  The  Bab. 

To  the  most  trusted  of  these  followers  Baha- 
'o'Uah, during  His  twelve  days  of  sojourn  in  El 
Rizwan,  revealed  Himself  and  His  mission: 
that  He  was  The  Promised  One  foretold  by 
The    Bab;    that    He    was    the    One    promised 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  19 

by  all  the  prophets  to  appear  in  the  latter  days 
and  establish  GOD'S  Kingdom,  the  great  univer- 
sal brotherhood  of  nations ;  that  He  v^^as  the  One 
through  v^hose  inspired  guidance  the  difficulties 
of  the  believers  would  be  removed ;  by  steadfastly 
and  unitedly  following  Whose  injunctions  those 
blessings  for  which  the  believers  had  hoped,  suf- 
fered and  prayed  would  be  realized.  This  hope 
He  extended  to  the  adherents,  exhorting  them 
to  renew  their  energies,  faith  and  assurance. 

The  Manifestation  of  Baha'o'llah  took  place 
in  April,  1863,  nineteen  years  after  the  declara- 
tion of  The  Bab.*  This  was  the  goal  toward 
which  all  the  Babis  had  directed  their  attention, 
beyond  which  no  one  had  seen.  Now,  having  at- 
tained to  the  meeting  of  The  Promised  One,  the 
believers  found  themselves  upon  the  threshold 
of  an  outlook  so  vast,  and  of  a  work  so  great, 
that  it  was  only  with  the  sustaining  power  of 
their  new  teacher  that  they  were  able  to  face  the 
difficulties  which  confronted  them. 

The  period  of  preparation  over,  the  trusted  be- 
lievers found  themselves  in  the  full  light  of  the 
day  of  GOD,  compared  with  which  the  prepara- 
tive light  of  The  Bab  had  been  but  as  a  few  rays. 

Traveling  overland  by  caravan,  through  Irak- 
Arabi  and  Asia  Minor  to  Samsaon  on  the  Black 
Sea,  and  from  there  by  ship,  Baha'o'llah  and  His 
band  of  followers,  after  a  fatiguing  journey, 
reached  Constantinople. 

Here  the  exiles  remained  for  several  months 
under  governmental  surveillance,  before  they 
were  sent  under  military  escort  to  Adrianople,  in 

♦In  the  writitigrs  of  The  Bab  are  certain  verses 
prophetic  of  the  rise  of  Baha'o'Hah  in  the  ninth  year  of  the  Babi 
cause,  and  of  His  manifestation  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  the 
same.  These  prophecies  were  ^iven  symbolicaHy,  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  be  understood  only  by  the  faithful. 


20  THE   BAHAI    M0VEME:NT 

the  interior  of  Roumelia.  There,  it  was  thought, 
Baha'o'llah  would  be  so  far  removed  from  the 
world  which  His  cause  was  agitating  as  practi- 
cally to  destroy  His  power  as  a  religious  leader, 
thus  striking  a  fatal  blow  at  the  new  faith.  It  is 
to  be  noted  that  each  attempt  upon  the  part  of 
the  temporal  powers  to  oppose  this  cause  marks 
an  epoch  in  the  demonstration  of  its  spiritual 
power. 

Baha'o'llah  and  His  exiled  followers  remained 
in  Adrianople  for  five  years,  during  which 
time  the  cause  grew  and  the  believers  at- 
tained to  moral  and  spiritual  virtues,  their  faith 
manifesting  itself  in  their  daily  lives.  This  was  a 
time  of  growth  and  preparation.  Through  per- 
sonal contact,  those  who  were  with  Baha'ollah 
grew  in  the  shadow  of  His  wisdom,  while  those 
at  a  distance  had  their  souls  made  strong  and 
steadfast  through  His  written  teachings;  for  in 
Him  all  found  the  realizatio^n  of  the  spiritual 
power,  glory  and  majesty  of  ''Him  whom  God 
shall  manifest". 

While  in  Adrianople  Baha'o'llah  directed  His 
power  to  bringing  the  believers  to  a  realization 
of  His  mission.  The  cause  under  The  Bab's  in- 
spiration was  more  or  less  local,  being  confined 
to  a  few  Islamic  countries.  Its  character  and  in- 
stitutions were  commensurable  with  the  condi- 
tions to  which  it  ministered.  It  fulfilled  its  pur- 
pose and  when  this  was  accomplished  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  Baha'o'llah,  the  Babi  Movement,  as 
such,  ceased  to  exist. 

With  the  manifestation  of  Baha'o'llah,  not 
only  did  the  followers  cease  to  be  known  as 
Babis,  becoming  Bahais  in  name,  but  in  the  deep- 
est spiritual  sense  did  they  receive  from  Baha- 
'o'llah that  soul-quickening  touch,  which  created 
within  them  the  power  to  go  forth    to    all  the 


the:  bahai  move:me:nt  21 

world,  carrying  the  niessage  of  peace,  attracting 
people  of  all  nations  and  religions,  and  fulfilling 
that  which  He  sent  them  forth  to  accomplish. 

Dating  from  the  time  of  the  declaration 
of  Baha'o'llah  in  the  Garden  of  El  Riz- 
wan,  the  cause  assumes  a  universal  or  a  world 
character;  for  it  must  be  understood  that  the 
teachings  of  Baha'o'llah  are  not  limited  to  the 
needs  of  certain  conditions  and  countries,  nor  to 
the  oriental  peoples.  He  comes.  The  One  prom- 
ised by  all  religions,  for  all  peoples  under  all  con- 
ditions, both  oriental  and  occidental.  His  teach- 
ing is  universal ;  it  is  for  the  whole  world. 

Baha'o'llah  achieved  His  work  only  under  the 
greatest  difficulties.  Among  those  followers 
who  accompanied  Baha'o'llah  in  exile  was  His 
half-brother,  who  failed  to  comprehend  Him  and 
the  scope  and  magnitude  of  His  mission.  This 
man  resented  Baha'o'llah's  growing  power,  and 
his  opposition,  together  with  the  spread  of  the 
faith,  created  troubles  with  the  Turkish  govern- 
ment, which  increased  until  an  order  was  issued 
separating  him  from  the  believers,  and  sending 
Baha'o'llah  a  prisoner,  to  the  fortress  of  Akka 
on  the  coast  of  Syria. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1868  that  Baha'o'llah 
and  about  seventy  of  His  followers,  men,  women 
and  children,  were  taken  in  captivity;  overland 
to  Gallipoli,  where  they  were  embarked  in  a  ship 
sailing  for  Egypt.  Arriving  in  the  harbpr  of  Al- 
exandria, the  exiles  were  transferred  to  another 
vessel  which  landed  them  in  Haifa,  but  a  few 
miles  across  the  bay  from  Akka,  a  distance  which 
was  covered  in  small  boats. 

Akka  is  the  Acre  of  the  time  of  the  crusaders, 
more  anciently  known  as  Ptolemais.  Her  anti- 
quated ramparts  and  crumbling  fortifications,  the 
scenes  of  some  of  the  bloodiest  combats  of  mili- 


22  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

tary  history  from  the  ancient  times  of  the  Phoe- 
nicians down  to  the  Napoleonic  war  in  Syria,  tes- 
tify to  an  earthly  power  which  is  of  the  past; 
while  her  name,  so  intimately  connected  with  the 
Bahai  cause,  to-day  is  most  closely  associated 
with  that  great  constructive  movement  for  spir- 
itual power  and  peace,  the  glad  tidings  of  which 
were  first  sent  forth  to  all  the  world  from  behind 
her  prison  gates. 

For  some  years  prior  to  Baha'o'Uah's  arrival, 
the  fortress  of  Akka  had  been  used  as  a  prison 
and  a  place  of  exile  to  which  the  Sultan  of  Tur- 
key sent  his  political  opponents.  The  deadly 
climate  of  that  fever-stricken  rock  slowly  but 
surely  accomplished  the  desired  destruction  of 
many  of  these  unfortunate  ones. 

Here  Baha'o'llah  and  His  people  were  thrust 
into  two  rooms  of  the  barrack  prison.  With  poor 
and  insufficient  food,  and  water  not  fit  to  drink, 
fever  and  sickness  broke  out  among  the  believers. 
Their  sufferings  were  most  intense,  yet  through 
all  they  were  spiritually  in  the  greatest  joy  and 
peace,  for  they  realized  that  only  by  meeting  the 
very  worst  of  this  world's  conditions,  could 
Baha'o'llah  relieve  and  change  those  conditions; 
while,  as  for  themselves,  tTiey  were  only  too 
happy  and  contented  to  share  His  sufferings. 

It  was  during  this  close  confinement  of  Baha- 
'o'llah within  the  prison  of  Akka  that  He  made 
His  declaration  to  the  world.  This  was  done  by 
sending  a  series  of  epistles,  written  in  Adrianople, 
to  the  rulers  and  potentates  of  the  earth.  In  these 
missives  He  clearly  states  His  mission,  and  He 
announces  to  all  this  latter-day  call  of  The 
LORD — the  call  of  unity,  harmony,  and  peace. 

Very  soon  the  officials  and  officers  of  the  city 
began  to  realize  the  greatness  of  Baha'o'llah. 
and  some  among   them   believed   in    Him.     His 


the:  bahai  movkme^nt  23 

fame  as  a  teacher  spread,  and  actuated  by  that 
veneration  for  wisdom,  so  peculiar  to  the  Orient, 
many  sought  His  presence,  to  be  awakened  to 
those  truths  the  existence  of  which  they  pre- 
viously had  not  realized. 

After  two  years  of  close  confinement  in  prison, 
Baha'o'llah  was  given  the  liberty  of  the  city  and 
allowed  to  live  in  a  house  provided  for  Him  and 
His  family.  His  followers  entered  into  various 
occupations  in  the  town  and  vicinity,  and  the 
material  condition  of  the  community  was  greatly 
improved. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  imprisonment  of 
Baha'o'llah  in  Akka,  when  He  was  most  closely 
guarded  and  with  the  greatest  difficulty  His 
communications  were  transmitted  to  those 
outside  the  prison.  His  followers  often  journeyed 
from  Persia  overland,  for  months,  to  obtain  but 
a  glimpse  of  Him  standing  at  His  barred  window 
or  to  gaze  at  Him  from  afar  as  He  walked  upon 
the  parapet  of  the  prison,  and  then  they  returned 
to  their  homes  with  renewed  fervor  and  zeal  in 
promulgating  His  cause.  Later,  these  pilgrims 
from  various  countries  had  access  to  Him,  and, 
quickened  by  His  power,  went  forth  to  proclaim 
His  Cause  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 

Besides  those  who  saw  Him  personally,  Baha- 
'o'llah reached  thousands  in  distant  lands,  and 
satisfied  their  thirst  for  knowledge,  through  His 
tablets,  which  were  epistles  of  exhortation,  ad- 
vice and  explanation  written  in  response  to  let- 
ters from  believers  and  seekers. 

Baha'o'llah  wrote  also  general  treatises  relat- 
ing to  matters  both  religious  and  secular.  In 
these  inspired  writings  are  found  the  basic  prin- 
ciples upon  which  are  built  the  institutions  of  the 
Bahai  faith. 

During  the  latter  years  of  His  ministry,  Baha- 


24  the:  bahai  move:me:nt 

'o'llah  was  allowed  to  spend  much  time  in  the 
country  in  the  vicinity  of  Akka,  even  visiting 
Haifa  and  Mt.  Carmel.  At  the  villa  of  Behje 
(situated  on  the  plain  of  Akka)  He  departed  this 
life  in  the  month  of  May,  1892,  after  forty  years 
of  hardship,  imprisonment,  and  exile,  that  the 
soul  of  the  world  might  be  quickened  with  the 
life  of  the  spirit.  The  tomb  of  Baha'o'llah,  at 
Behje,  is  greatly  venerated  by  the  many  pilgrims 
who  yearly  visit  it  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Through  Baha'o'llah  this  great  teaching  was 
given  to  man.  His  function  was  that  of  the  re- 
vealer.  Though  as  a  man  He  lived  a  life  in  har- 
mony with  the  conventions  of  His  oriental 
environment,  yet  as  The  Revelator,  the  mouth- 
piece of  The  Spirit,  His  teachings  are  univer- 
sally applicable  to  all  peoples  under  all  con- 
ditions. With  the  close  of  His  ministry  the 
latter-day  revelation  was  complete  as  a  revela- 
tion. The  next  step  in  the  development  of  the 
cause  was  that  of  explaining,  establishing  and 
demonstrating  these  revealed  truths  in  the  world 
of  practicality.  For  the  accomplishment  of  this, 
Abdul-Baha,  the  son  of  Baha'o'llah,  was  the 
chosen  instrument. 


IV. 

ABDUL- B  AHA. 

Abdul-Baha  Abbas,  also  known  as  Abbas  Ef- 
fendi,  the  eldest  son  of  Baha'o'llah,  was  born  in 
Teheran,  Persia,  on  the  23d  day  of  May,  1844, 
the  very  day  upon  which  The  Bab  made  His  de- 
claration to  the  disciples  in  Shiraz. 

At  a  very  early  age  Abdul-Baha  was  called 
upon  to  share  the  sufferings  of  his  father.  When 
Baha'o'llah's  persecution  began  with  His  impris- 
onment in  Teheran  and  exile  to  Baghdad,  His 
property  was  confiscated,  even  to  personal  effects, 
while  the  members  of  His  family  suffered  in- 
tensely for  the  bare  necessities  of  life. 

Abdul-Baha's  schooling  was  interrupted  in  his 
childhood  by  these  persecutions,  and  afterward 
he  never  attended  any  school.  However,  through 
the  constant  companionship  of  his  father,  from 
whom  his  inspiration  came,  and  from  his  loving 
service  to  all  people  both  high  and  low,  an  un- 
derstanding, wisdom  and  knowledge  are  his 
which  are  of  God. 

Abdul-Baha  accompanied  Baha'o'llah  upon  His 
winter  journey  from  Teheran  to  Baghdad,  and 
during  the  years  of  exile  there  was  constantly 
at  his  father's  right  hand,  serving  and  helping 
Him  in  His  work  of  teaching  the  people. 

Abdul-Baha  was  the  first  to  recognize  the  di- 
vine power  of  Baha'o'llah.  He  was  the  first  soul 
quickened^  by  the  spirit  of  Baha'o'llah,  and  the 
first  to  arise  in  the  service  of  the  Kingdom.  In 
Abdul-Baha's  life  of  devotion  to  the  cause  and 
his  practice  of  the  precepts  of  Baha'o'llah,  the 
perfect  life  of  The  Spirit  is  manifest,  and  in  him 
all  things  are  found  to  be  accomplished. 

25 


26  THE    BAHAI    MOVE^MENT 

In  Adrianople  Abdul-Baha  took  upon  himself 
the  task  of  relieving  Baha'o'llah  of  all  possible 
cares  of  daily  life,  so  that  He  might  devote 
Himself  entirely  to  His  mission.  During  the  im- 
prisonment in  Akka,  when  hardship  and  sickness 
were  encompassing  the  believers  on  every  side, 
it  was  Abdul-Baha,  who,  through  his  buoyancy 
of  spirit,  gave  courage  to  the  distressed  ones.  It 
was  he  who  nursed  the  sick  and  through  the 
touch  of  his  hand  imparted  strength  to  the  weak, 
while  the  light  of  his  great  love  illumined  all  and 
empowered  them  to  overcome  their  ills. 

In  the  written  testament  of  Baha'o'llah,  as  well 
as  in  His  verbal  teachings,  which  have  come 
down  to  us  through  those  who  were  near  to  Him, 
He  appointed  His  son  Abdul-Baha  to  succeed 
Him  in  His  spiritual  mission,  and  designated 
Him  as  the  one  who  should  complete  His  work 
in  the  world.  The  father's  mantle  has  fallen  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  son.  The  staff  of  Baha'o'llah 
is  now  in  the  hands  of  Abdul-Baha,  and  the 
Spirit  of  God,  which  spoke  through  Baha'o'llah 
revealing  TRUTH  to  the  world,  is  now  mani- 
festing to  the  world  through  Abdul-Baha's  life 
of  service  to  God  and  to  man. 

Abdul-Baha  is  the  center  of  the  Bahai  cause. 
He  is  the  one  to  be  emulated.  Through  follow- 
ing him  the  Believers  will  attain  to  the  spiritual 
fullness  of  the  Bahai  life.  Abdul-Baha  is  the  be- 
loved son  into  whose  hands  has  been  intrusted 
the  guidance  of  the  people  of  The  Kingdom. 

Abdul-Baha's  mission  is  that  of  the  explainer, 
the  establisher.  Through  his  life  of  service  he 
is  teaching  and  leading  the  people  to  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  revelation  of  Baha'o'llah.  By  his 
life  of  example  he  is  teaching  the  heart  of  man- 
kind and  infusing  spiritual  consciousness  into 
humanity. 


the:  bahai  movement  27 

Abdul-Baha  comes  with  the  power  of  God  to 
Hve  and  manifest  the  hfe  of  Tlie  Kingdom.  This 
he  is  demonstrating  to  the  world,  for  through 
his  ministry  all  things  as  revealed  and  intended 
by  Baha'o'llah  are  being  accomplished. 

Almost  his  entire  life  Abdul-Baha  has  passed 
under  the  temporal  law  as  an  exile  and  a  reli- 
gious prisoner.  At  times  he  was  only  under  mili- 
tary surveillance,  and  again  imprisoned  behind 
barred  doors.  Yet  despite  these  physical  hin- 
drances his  spiritual  work  has  prospered  and  his 
message  of  glad  tidings  has  gone  the  world 
round,  taking  with  it  the  peace  of  the  Spirit  to 
thousands  of  souls  of  every  race  and  religion. 

That  Ahdul-Baha's  mission  is  a  purely  spiritual 
one  needs  no  further  demonstration  than  that 
which  is  already  visible  in  the  world.  With  all  of 
the  zvorldly  powers  against  him,  hut  with  the 
power  of  God  with  him,  he  is  accomplishing  that 
which  he  was  sent  to  accomplish,  for  from  him  is 
emanating  that  pozver  which  is  uniting  men's 
hearts  and  drawing  into  The  Kingdom  the  hun- 
gering souls  from  all  peoples.  Abdul-Baha  is 
harmonizing  Christians,  Jews,  Moslems,  Zoroas- 
trians,  Buddhists  and  Hindus  in  the  one  and  the 
true  faith,  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  Broth- 
erhood of  man.  The  results  of  his  work  prove 
his  cause. 

The  name  Abdul-Baha  signifies  the  title  of  its 
bearer,  "The  Servant  of  God".  Abdul-Baha 
makes  but  one  claim  for  himself,  that  of  abso- 
lute servitude  in  the  path  of  God.  The 
Spirit  of  Baha'o'llah  is  the  source  of  Ab- 
dul-Baha's  inspiration  and  his  strength.  He 
seeks  no  prestige  nor  prominence  for  himself. 
His  demonstration  to  the  world  is  through  deeds. 
His  method  of  teaching  is  through  deeds.     His 


28  the:  bahai  movement 

mission  is  to  establish  the  deeds  of  The  Kingdom 
in  the  Hves  of  his   followers. 

With  the  passing  of  Baha'o'llah  (May,  1892) 
began  Abdul-Baha's  divine  mission  as  **The  Cen- 
ter of  the  Covenant".  When  he  arose  invested 
with  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  began  the  third  and 
final  period  of  the  establishment  of  The  King- 
dom here  among  men. 

Abdul-Baha  is  an  exile  from  his  country  and, 
until  the  re-establishment  of  the  Turkish  Con- 
stitution in  the  summer  of  1908,  he  was  a  reli- 
gious prisoner,  held  in  the  fortress  of  Akka. 
With  this  political  change,  he — with  many  other 
prisoners  and  exiles — was  freed  and  is  no  longer 
under  military  surveillance. 

Since  his  release  Abdul-Baha  has  made  but 
few  changes  in  his  daily  life.  Now  it  is  possible 
for  many  more  of  his  followers  to  visit  him  than 
formerly,  consequently  his  duties  and  labors  are 
increased.  He  has  given  up  his  residence  in  Akka 
and,  after  residing  for  some  months  in  the  neigh- 
boring town  of  Haifa,  he  has  gone  to  Egypt, 
from  whence  he  is  at  present  carrying  on  his 
work.* 

During  every  phase  of  the  progress  of  The 
Cause,  Abdul-Baha  has  done  nothing  needlessly 
to  agitate  the  fanatical  peoples  who  surround 
him.  In  every  way  he  and  his  family  observe 
the  oriental  conventions  of  life,  in  order  to 
maintain  harmony  and  amicable  relations  with 
the  surrounding  people.  He  is  changing  the 
world  by  infusing  spiritual  wisdom  into  men's 
souls.  He  teaches  and  reaches  the  people 
through  leading  them  rather  than  by  trying  to 
force  them,  through  winning  souls  by  the  spirit 

*Since  the  first  edition  of  this  book  was  published,  Abdul-Baha 
has  visited  America  where  he  travelled  and  taught  extensively. 
At  the  present  time  (March,  1913)  he  is  on  a  similar  mission  in 
Europe. 


THE    BAHAI    MOVICME:nT  29 

rather  than  by  trying  to  bring  to  bear  the  more 
objective  forces  of  the  outer  world. 

As  there  were  a  few  of  The  Bab's  pro- 
fessed followers,  who  failed  in  the  days  of  Baha- 
'o'llah  to  recognize  in  Him  the  divine  power  by 
virtue  of  which  He  was  The  Bab's  successor,  so 
there  are  also  a  few  followers  of  Baha'o'llah, 
whose  eyes  have  not  been  opened  during  the 
ministry  of  Abdul-Baha  to  the  spirit  manifesting 
within  him,  and  who  have  failed  to  see  in  him 
the  successor  of  Baha'o'llah. 

These  opposing  people  have  at  times  made 
much  trouble  for  Abdul-Baha.  During  the  years 
of  his  imprisonment,  through  false  reports 
concerning  his  work,  made  to  the  government 
by  these  people  (led  by  his  own  half-brother), 
the  Turkish  officials  imagined  the  Bahais  were 
plotting  against  the  Ottoman  power.  Thus,  much 
distress  was  created. 

Sometimes,  on  account  of  the  troubles  brought 
on  by  the  opposing  people,  it  has  been  impossible 
for  the  believers  to  visit  Abdul-Baha.  Once, 
some  of  his  followers  were  cast  into  prison,  and 
at  another  time  some  of  the  believers  were  forced 
to  flee  from  the  Holy  Land  and  seek  refuge  in 
Egypt.  Nevertheless,  through  all  trials  and  trou- 
bles Abdul-Baha  has  gone  steadily  forward  ac- 
complishing his  work,  the  number  of  his  op- 
posers  decreasing  and  the  number  of  his  sym- 
pathizers increasing,  until  now  he  has  clearly 
shown  to  all  that  his  cause  is  not  dependent  upon 
earthly  prosperity  for  its  grozvth,  nor  does  oppo- 
sition hinder  its  spread. 

The  Bahais  have  the  uttermost  esteem,  love 
and  veneration  for  Abdul-Baha.  To  them  he  is 
friend,  counselor,  and  spiritual  guide. 

In  looking  tozvard  him  as  the  expounder  of 
divine  wisdom  his  followers  are  worshipping  the 


30  the:  bahai  move^ment 

Divine  Light  zvhich  is  manifesting  through  his 
life  of  service  to  God  and  man.  They  are  not 
deifying  his  human  personahty,  for  that  he  holds 
in  common  with  all  men. 

Abdul-Baha  does  not  wish  to  call  the  attention 
of  people  to  his  personality,  nor  to  himself  as  a 
man,  save  to  demonstrate  to  them  the  principles 
of  the  higher  life  for  which  he  stands.  He  not 
only  does  not  seek  personal  prestige,  but  even 
anything  suggestive  of  this  is  extremely  odious 
to  him.  For  example,  he  has  repeatedly  requested 
the  believers  not  to  use  in  connection  with  his 
name  the  terms  "Lord"  or  "Master",  which  are 
so  often  applied  in  the  Orient  to  spiritual  teach- 
ers. In  fact,  any  demonstration  of  personal  ado- 
ration is  offensive  to  him. 

Abdul-Baha  stands  as  the  exponent  of  a  spir- 
itual principle,  a  great  divine  power.  This,  and 
this  only,  he  desires  the  world  to  recognize. 

Many  beautiful  and  touching  incidents  are  re- 
lated by  the  people  of  Akka  of  the  way  in 
which,  through  long-suffering  and  kindness,  Ab- 
dul-Baha has  won  the  hearts  of  those  who,  be- 
cause of  their  prejudice,  formerly  were  his 
enemies.  Caring  for  the  sick  and  protecting  the 
oppressed  form  a  large  part  of  his  daily  duties. 
One  of  the  titles  applied  to  him  by  the  indigent 
Arabs  is  "Father  of  the  Poor". 

While  Abdul-Baha's  method  of  teaching  and 
moving  people  is  through  the  heart  and  is  gen- 
tleness itself,  nevertheless,  conditions  often  make 
it  necessary  for  him  to  be  stern.  Some  of  the 
native  Arabs,  and  others  with  whom  he  has  rela- 
tions need  to  be  dealt  with  by  a  loving  but  finn 
hand. 

Abdul-Baha  administers  justice,  but  with  such 
kindness  that  the  individual  realizes  it  is  done 
in  the  true  spirit  of  paternal  training ;  and  instead 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  31 

of  offending  the  guilty  one  the  opposite  effect  is 
produced,  and  a  lasting  good  accomplished. 

Abdul-Baha  is  married.  He  has  four  daugh- 
ters, three  of  whom  have  husbands  and  families. 
Abdul-Baha  is  teaching  through  his  home  life  as 
a  devoted  husband  and  a  loving  father,  a  lesson 
to  both  the  people  of  the  East  and  of  the  West. 
He  is  teaching  the  Oriental,  monogamy  and  that 
woman  should  be  man's  intellectual,  moral  and 
spiritual  companion  as  well  as  the  mother  of  his 
children;  and  he  is  teaching  the  Occidental,  in 
these  days  of  marital  unrest,  that  marriage 
should  be  founded  upon  a  spiritual  basis  and  not 
alone  upon  a  physical  one. 

While  imprisoned  Abdul-Baha  received  a  sti- 
pend from  the  Turkish  government.  Now  that 
he  is  freed,  this  no  longer  continues.  He  holds 
cultivated  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Akka  which 
render  him  an  income.  His  personal  needs  and 
those  of  his  family  are  few.  In  reality,  that 
which  he  possesses  is  for  the  benefit  of  all,  while 
he  is  but  the  guardian  of  it.  No  one  knows  of  the 
many  children  he  is  educating;  how  many  needy 
and  infirm  ones  he  is  clothing,  housing  and  feed- 
ing. Abdul-Baha  is  demonstrating  to  the  world 
that  there  is  neither  virtue  nor  disgrace  in  either 
riches  or  poverty;  and  that  man,  either  in  need 
or  in  plenty,  should  utilize  his  little  or  his  much 
glorifying  God  through  serving  humanity. 

There  are  many  expenses  in  connection  with 
the  carrying  on  of  the  work.  Those  whose  souls 
are  in  the  cause  contribute  in  various  ways,  of 
which  few,  if  any,  are  known.  The  American  Ba- 
hais  can  testify  that  Abdul-Baha  very  rarely  per- 
mits any  of  them  to  share  in  carrying  the  burden 
of  the  work  in  the  East,  though  in  rare  instances 
he  has  accepted  contributions  for  this  purpose. 

While    his    personality     Abdul-Baha    wishes 


32  THK    BAHAl    MOVEMENT 

sacrificed,  for  the  cause  for  which  he  stands,  nev- 
ertheless the  people  look  at  the  outer  person,  and 
each  returning  pilgrim  from  Akka  is  asked  many 
questions  regarding  Abdul-Baha,  the  man. 

Abdul-Baha  expresses  perfect  manhood.  The 
vigor  of  a  fully-developed  physical,  intellectual, 
and  spiritual  power  is  apparent  in  his  every 
movement ;  yet  with  this  is  a  delicacy,  a  sensibil- 
ity and  an  intuition  which  denote  the  inspiration 
that  dominates  him.  In  him  is  all  of  the  dig- 
nity and  majesty  of  the  king  combined  with  the 
humbleness  of  the  servant,  and  upon  his  brow  is 
the  strength  and  force  of  the  ancient  Mosaic  type 
of  man,  counterbalanced  by  the  gentleness  of  a 
child. 

In  Abdul-Baha's  presence  one  becomes  con- 
scious of  the  deepest  feeling  of  respect,  venera- 
tion and  even  awe,  yet  not  the  awe  which  holds 
one  at  a  distance,  for  within  Abdul-Baha's  soul 
there  burns  such  a  fire  of  divine  love  that  very 
few  escape  its  power  of  attraction. 

The  awakened  soul  realizes  that  Abdul-Baha 
understands  the  spiritual  condition  of  men,  and 
that  he  is  the  divine  physician  who,  through  the 
love  of  God,  is  healing  the  souls  of  men  of  the 
disease  of  ignorance  and  superstition  and  inhar- 
mony.  He  ministers  to  each  in  accordance  with 
the  needs  of  the  individual.  Often,  at  the  time, 
one  does  not  understand  why  Abdul-Baha  acts 
and  advises  as  he  does,  but  later  all  becomes  clear 
when,  through  carrying  out  his  instructions,  one 
sees  the  depth  of  his  understanding  and  realizes 
the  profoundness  of  his  wisdom. 

Abdul-Baha  seeks  always  to  remove  the  cause 
of  trouble.  His  vision  penetrates  into  the  soul 
and  understands  its  condition.  His  balm  is  sum- 
med up  in  the  word  LOVE.  Divine  love  annihi- 
lates worry  and  kills  fear,  and  when  it  takes  pos- 


the:  bahai  move:me:nt  33 

session  of  the  soul  it  is  as  though  another  and  a 
new  dimension  were  added  to  the  individual,  and 
old  conditions  of  doubt  and  uncertainty  are  re- 
placed by  poise  and  assurance.  Abdul-Baha's 
mission  IS  to  teach  men  to  bring  the  love  of  The 
Kingdom  into  everyday  life,  and  to  manifest  it  in 
every  thought,  word  and  deed. 

It  is  in  the  little  things  and  the  numerous  details 
of  life  that  the  test  comes  in  applying  spiritual 
teachings.  In  the  life  of  Abdul-Baha  it  is  through 
the  seemingly  small  things  that  his  great  spirit 
manifests  itself,  and  goes  out  with  a  penetrating 
power  to  the  souls  of  those  who  allow  them- 
selves to  come  within  the  radius  of  its  activity. 
In  his  presence  it  is  as  if  a  refreshing  breeze,  a 
spiritual  force,  proceeded  from  the  heart  of  Ab- 
dul-Baha to  that  of  the  seeker— an  indescribable 
force  carrying  strength  to  the  weak  and  guidance 
to  the  strong. 

Abdul-Baha's  every  word,  look  and  gesture  be- 
speaks his  spirit,  and  while  his  spirit  is  the  most 
elusive  and  difficult  of  all  things  to  express  in 
words,  when  once  perceived  it  is  the  most  tangi- 
ble of  realities,  for  it  is  the  very  essence  of  the 
Hfe  of  the  soul  which  is  proceeding  from  him 
who  is  the  center  of  guidance. 

Often  the  face  of  Abdul-Baha  in  repose,  bears 
an  expression  as  if  caused  by  a  great  weight  of 
sorrow  impossible  to  describe.  No  soul  can 
fathom  the  depths  into  which  he  sees,  nor  the 
profoundness  of  his  realization  of  the  suffering 
condition  of  man.  He  feels  the  hungering  and 
the  thirsting  of  the  soul  of  humanity  for  spiritual 
rest,  and  upon  his  brow  is  written  her  silent 
agony.  However,  when  Abdul-Baha  speaks  he 
is  fairly  charged  with  the  positive  life-forces  of 
The  Kingdom.  In  every  glance  and  movement  he 
manifests  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  and  as  he  shows 


34  THE   BAHAI    MOVE:mE:NT 

forth  this  love  and  joy  in  his  many  deeds  of 
kindness,  his  spirit  penetrates  the  hearts  of  those 
who  come  in  contact  with  him,  and  they  in  turn 
go  forth  filled  with  the  spirit  to  work  and  to 
serve  in  his  path. 

The  pilgrim  discovers  in  Abdul-Baha  one  who 
impresses  his  hearers  not  by  projecting  his  own 
ideas  or  personality  upon  them,  but  by  calling 
forth  a  response  from  within  the  soul  of  each 
individual  seeker.  The  direct  influence  of  the 
will  of  one  personality  upon  another  is  transitory 
and  without  lasting  benefit.  But  how  different  is 
the  message  of  the  spirit  speaking  through  the 
life  and  the  words  of  Abdul-Baha,  who  has  sacri- 
ficed his  will  to  the  will  of  God.  He  has  a  mes- 
sage for  every  soul,  and  as  the  seeker  meets  spir- 
itually with  the  soul  of  Abdul-Baha,  a  new  force 
is  added  to  his  nature  and  he  goes  forth  quick- 
ened, alive  and  aflame  with  the  love  of  God. 

Through  The  Bab  the  way  was  made  ready  and 
prepared  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  the  Latter- 
Day  Messiah,  Baha'o'llah.  Through  Baha'o'llah, 
in  whom  God  was  Manifest,  divine  knowledge 
was  revealed  to  man,  the  laws  of  The  Kingdom 
given  to  the  world,  and  Abdul-Baha  was  appoint- 
ed, ''The  Center  of  the  Covenant".  Now  through 
Abdul-Baha's  life  of  service  to  God  and  man,  the 
way  is  made  plain  for  all  and  the  Kingdom  of 
God  established  upon  earth. 


V. 

THE  MANIFESTATION  OF   rHE  WORD 

OF  GOD. 

"That  which  is  the  cause  of  everlasting  Hfe, 
eternal  honor,  universal  enlightenment,  real  sal- 
vation and  prosperity,  is  first  of  all,  the  knowl- 
edge of  God."    Abdul-Baha. 

''The  root  of  all  knowledge  is  the  knowledge 
of  God :  Glory  be  to  Him !  And  this  knowledge 
is  impossible  save  through  His  Manifestation/' 
Baha'o'llah. 

It  is  written :  "In  the  beginning  was  The  Word, 
and  The  Word  was  with  God,  and  The  Word  was 
God."  It  is  through  the  Word  of  God  manifested 
in  the  temple  of  man,  that  men's  souls  become 
quickened  with  the  spiritual  life,  attain  divine 
knowledge,  receive  spiritual  assurance,  and  are 
enabled  to  rise  above  the  condition  of  ignorance 
and  ascend  the  scale  of  advancement  and  civili- 
zation. The  Word,  or  the  Spirit  of  God,  spoke 
through  all  the  prophets  or  manifestations. 

Infinite  Deity  is  beyond  the  comprehension  of 
man:  yet,  through  the  manifestation  of  The 
Spirit  of  The  Deity,  man  is  enabled  to  come  into 
touch  with  God,  to  comprehend  and  to  know  His 
characteristics  and  His  attributes,  and  to  obtain 
Divine  Knowledge  which  is  eternal  life.  By  this 
is  not  meant  that  the  essence  of  the  Infinite  Deity 
is  contained  nor  confined  in  the  personality  of 
the  revelator,  but  that  the  soul  of  the  prophet 
is  as  a  clear  mirror  which  mirrors  forth,  or  mani- 
fests, all  of  the  divine  attributes.  Everywhere 
in  the  world  of  nature  is  seen  the  result  of  God's 
creative  power,  yet  this  has  never  awakened  nor 
brought  spiritual  quickening,  divine  joy,  nor  com- 

35 


36  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

fort  to  the  soul  of  man.  This  is  because  God^s 
creation,  though  it  emanates  from  Him,  yet  it 
does  not  manifest  Him.  The  heart  of  man  is  only 
divinely  quickened,  and  spiritually  satisfied, 
through  the  coming  to  humanity  of  the  Manifes- 
tation of  God  or  The  Word  Revealed. 

The  Manifestation  of  "The  Word"  or  of  "The 
Spirit,"  through  the  prophets  or  "Chosen  Ones," 
is  the  unique  source  of  the  spiritual  enlighten- 
ment of  men.  This  source  is  of  God,  not  of  man. 
Though  the  prophets  and  divine  teachers  were 
men,  their  spiritual  power  and  strength  was  not 
because  of  any  human  virtue  or  wisdom.  Their 
power  to  change  men's  natures,  and  to  create 
great  spiritual  awakenings  in  the  world  was  due 
to  the  Spirit  of  God  which  spoke  through  them. 
The  Word  of  God  is  a  life-giving,  a  creative 
power.  Through  it,  slumbering  humanity  is 
quickened  with  spiritual  wisdom,  and  the  souls  of 
men  are  lifted  from  the  condition  of  ignorance 
to  that  of  knowledge  and  wisdom.  The  advance- 
ment of  the  world  of  humanity  is  due  to  the 
quickening  power  of  The  Word.  From  it  pro- 
ceeds the  very  seed  of  civilization  and  progress 
and  through  it  man  is  divinely  quickened  and 
born  into  The  Kingdom  of  God. 

The  great  power  of  the  world's  divine  teach- 
ers has  been  due  to  their  divine  wisdom  and  in- 
spiration. These  Manifestations  have  each 
arisen  as  teachers  among  men.  As  they  found 
sympathetic  souls  prepared  for  the  spiritual  mes- 
sages which  they  brought,  they  revealed  truths, 
always  giving  in  proportion  to  the  capacity  of 
their  disciples  to  receive. 

In  the  ministry  of  each  prophet  is  seen  a  cer- 
tain development,  and  unfoldment  of  his  teach- 
ing. This  is  due  to  the  spiritual  unfoldment  and 
development  of  the  souls  of  his  follower  j,  for 


THE    BAHAI    MOVE:me:nT  3T 

speaking  through  each  prophet  was  the  Perfect 
Eternal  Word,  which  in  itself  is  above  unfold- 
ment  and  development.  Men  can  comprehend 
this  only  as  their  souls  develop.  Therefore  each 
prophet  revealed  himself  little  by  little,  as  he  pre- 
pared his  followers  to  receive  him  in  the  fullness 
of  his  mission. 

The  inner  spiritual  teachings  of  the  Divine 
Manifestations  have  been  one  and  the  same  in 
substance,  differing  only  in  degree.  The  degree 
of  the  spiritual  knowledge  manifested  has  been 
always  commensurate  with  the  degree  of  the  spir- 
itual capacity  of  the  people  to  whom  the  prophet 
ministered.  The  outer  teachings,  including  the 
divine  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  divine  reve- 
lators,  have  differed  in  every  age.  These  specific 
instructions  have  always  been  given  in  conform- 
ity with  the  material  condition  peculiar  to  the 
various  ages. 

Through  the  harmony  of  the  spiritual  law  and 
the  material  law,  as  exemplified  in  the  lives  and 
teachings  of  the  Manifestations,  humanity  has 
come  under  divine  guidance,  the  direct  result  of 
which  has  been  a  higher  state  of  development  of 
morals  and  all  social  relations. 

Thus,  from  the  purely  spiritual  view-point  the 
Bahais  regard  all  the  prophets  as  the  same,  be- 
cause of  the  one  eternal,  unchangeable  truth 
which  they,  one  and  all,  manifested;  whereas, 
viewed  from  the  human  standpoint,  these  spirit- 
ual teachers  are  seen  to  be  different  personalties, 
giving  different  teachings  and  establishing  differ- 
ent religious  systems. 

The  laws  and  ordinances,  as  given  to  the  world 
by  the  prophets,  though  material  have  had  a 
deep  spiritual  effect  upon  man.  They  were  given 
through  divine  wisdom ;  and  by  obedience  to 
them,    the   living   out  of   the   same  by  men,  the 


38  THE   BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

conditions  were  created  which  were  necessary 
for  the  fuller  and  unhampered  spiritual  unfold- 
ment  of  humanity.  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
each  revelator  has  insisted  that  the  people  follow 
his  commands.  It  was  for  their  own  good  that 
he  commanded  this.  Their  welfare  depended 
upon  following  his  injunctions. 

Supply  and  demand  go  hand  in  hand  in  spirit- 
ual matters,  as  science  has  proven  them  to  do  on 
the  material  plane.  At  the  time  of  the  coming  of 
each  divine  manifestation  there  was  a  certain 
spiritual  need  among  men.  With  each  "Com- 
ing", the  ministering  to  that  need  was  the  unique 
mission  of  the  prophet. 

The  difference  in  the  missions  or  the  fields  of 
work  of  the  prophets,  naturally  differentiates 
them  into  the  world  manifestations,  those 
whose  teachings  and  ordinances  were  directly 
applied  to  the  whole  world,  such  as  the  Mel- 
chizadek  type,  Christ  and  Baha'o'llah,  and  the 
more  local  manifestations,  those  whose  teach- 
ings and  laws  were  applicable  only  to  certain 
people  under  certain  conditions,  such  as  Zoroast- 
er, Moses,  Mohammed  and  others.  Some 
prophets  founded  new  religious  systems  which 
previously  had  not  existed,  while  there  were 
others  who  re-established  and  confirmed  the 
faith  of  the  people  in  the  teachings  and  institu- 
tions of  a  former  prophet.  Of  these  latter  the 
Hebrew  prophets  after  Moses  are  examples. 

As  there  are  cycles  of  growth,  fruition  and  de- 
cay in  life  on  the  physical  plane,  there  are  also 
the  cycles  of  birth,  development,  fruition,  decay 
in  religious  systems  or  dispensations. 

As  the  cycles  or  seasons  in  the  physical  world 
are  due  to  the  condition  of  the  material  earth, 
so  the  cycles  or  seasons  in  the  religious  world 


THE   BAHAI    MOVEMENT  39 

are  due  to  the  condition  of  the  world  of  hu- 
manity. 

Every  reHgion  has  had  its  birth  in  the  advent 
of  its  divine  founder.  Through  the  labors  of  its 
early  adherents  it  grew  and  developed,  bringing 
forth  its  fruits  in  the  institutions  and  civilization 
which  grew  up  and  formed  about  it.  This  was 
its  golden  age.  Then  followed  a  period  in  which 
the  faith  of  the  people  grew  cold,  spirituality 
waned,  morals  suffered,  and  religion  losing  its 
spirit  became  a  form.  Thus  the  souls  of  the  peo- 
ple became  starved  and  their  condition  needed 
the  ministration  of  another  prophet,  who  in  due 
time  appeared  and  lifted  them  a  step  higher  and 
nearer  toward  the  coming  of  The  Kingdom  upon 
earth. 

In  this  way  each  prophet  has  been  a  link  in  the 
great  chain  of  revelators,  completing  the  work 
and  fulfilling  the  words  of  his  predecessors  and 
preparing  the  way  for  others  to  come  after  him. 
Thus  have  all  manifestations  of  the  past  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  latter-day  coming  of  The 
Lord,  accomplished  in  the  coming  of  Baha'o'llah, 
whose  mission  was  to  unite  those  now  following 
many  systems,  into  one  brotherhood  and  one  uni- 
versal faith. 

The  prophets  have  been  seers  as  well  as 
sources  of  divine  life.  Through  spiritual  under- 
standing they  were  able  to  indicate  in  their  teach- 
ings the  material  signs  and  conditions  as  well  as 
the  more  spiritual  ones,  which  would  character- 
ize the  advent  of  succeeding  manifestations. 

The  ''return"  of  the  prophets  does  not  refer 
to  the  return  to  this  world  of  a  "personality".  It 
refers  to  the  return  in  another  personality,  of  the 
impersonal  Spirit,  the  Word  or  Spirit  of  God 
which  spoke  through  the  prophets  of  the  past. 
With  the    passing    of    centuries    people  ceased 


40  TIIK    BAHAI    MOVI:mKNT 

to  differentiate  between  the  personality  of 
a  manifestation  and  the  Spirit  of  God  which 
spoke  through  him,  hence,  instead  of  looking  for 
the  return  of  The  Spirit  manifesting  through 
another  personality,  in  these  latter  days  the  peo- 
ple of  each  religion  are  mistakenly  looking  for 
the  personal,  individual  return  of  their  own  spe- 
cial prophet. 

The  mission  of  each  divine  revelator  has  been 
to  announce  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
brotherhood  of  The  Kingdom  among  men.  Each 
accomplished  his  mission,  speaking  and  teaching 
through  symbols  and  parables  commensurable 
with  the  conditions  of  his  day;  each  quickened 
the  souls  of  the  people  with  divine  life  and  each 
foretold  the  coming  of  the  great  Latter-Day 
Messiah  who  was  to  establish  The  Kingdom  of 
Peace  upon  earth. 

In  the  coming  of  The  Bab,  Baha'o'llah  and 
Abdul-Baha  is  found  the  fulfillment  of  the  di- 
vine promises  of  God,  given  to  the  peoples  of  the 
past  ages,  and  in  it  is  the  beginning  of  that  age 
of  divine  enlightenment  and  spiritual  wisdom 
for  which  men  have  long  hoped  and  prayed.  In 
the  light  of  their  inspired  teachings  all  religious 
teachings  of  the  past  are  understood  and  seen 
to  be  as  parts  of  one  great  divine  plan  for  the 
spiritual  enlightenment  of  the  world,  and  in 
the  Bahai  revelation  is  realized,  also,  that  power 
which  is  binding  and  uniting  the  peoples  of  all 
races  and  religions  in  one  universal  religion, 
which  is  The  Kingdom  of  God  upon  earth. 

Resurrection  and  judgment  pertain  to  the 
coming  of  a  manifestation.  These  terms  should 
be  understood  spiritually.  Through  the  Word 
revealed,  souls  are  quickened  and  the  spiritually 
dead  are  given  divine  life.  The  day  of  each 
prophet  is  the  time  of  judgment  for  those  souls 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  41 

who  hear  his  message,  whether  they  accept  the 
truth  or  reject  it. 

To-day  is  the  time  of  judgment  prophesied  in 
all  of  the  holy  books  of  all  peoples.  The  call  of 
The  Lord  has  gone  forth.  The  people  are  hear- 
ing it.  Some  are  awake  to  it  and  are  arising  to 
serve,  while  other  souls  are  not  yet  sufficiently 
aroused  to  realize  what  has  come  into  the  world. 

That  The  Word  of  God  has  again  been  mani- 
fested to  man  and  that  "The  One"  promised  in 
the  holy  writings  of  all  religions  has  come  in  the 
flesh  and  has  established  the  new  and  the  divine 
order  of  things,  The  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth, 
is  the  message  which  the  Bahais  are  giving  to  the 
world. 


VI. 

RELATION  OF  THE  BAHAI  MOVEMENT 
TO  THE  RELIGIONS  OF  THE  PAST 

The  people  of  each  reHgion  expect  the  return 
of  the  Spirit  which  shone  through  their  prophet 
in  the  past,  and  the  universal  establishment  of 
their  own  religion.  The  Word  of  God  speaking 
through  all  the  prophets  gave  the  same  message 
of  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  and  the  establish- 
ment of  The  Kingdom  upon  earth. 

As  time  passed,  and  the  spirit  of  the  teachings 
became  weak,  the  people  ceased  to  regard  their 
prophet  as  a  human  being,  the  medium  through 
whom  the  Spirit  of  God  manifested  and  was  re- 
vealed. They  began  to  deify  the  human  person- 
ality of  the  prophet  and  instead  of  expecting  the 
return  of  the  same  Spirit,  manifesting  through 
another  personality,  they  began  to  look  for  the 
return  in  person  of  their  guide  or  prophet.  Thus 
the  Christians  believe  in  the  corporeal  descent  of 
Jesus  from  the  heavens  (interstellar  space),  in- 
stead of  the  appearance  of  the  Christ  Spirit, 
which  was  the  divine  power  in  Jesus  that  He 
promised  w^ould  again  manifest  upon  earth  at  the 
end  of  His  dispensation.  In  the  same  way  the 
Jews  look  for  the  personal  return  of  Elijah 
''before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  dread- 
ful day  of  the  Lord,"  and  the  Moslems 
look  for  the  personal  and  corporeal  return  of 
the  Imam  Mahdi. 

As  the  Bahai  message  is  being  given  to  the 
people  of  each  of  these  religions,  they  are  being 
called  back  to  the  original  teachings  of  their  in- 
dividual prophet.  They  realize  that  the  voice  of 
the  Spirit  spoke  through  Him,  and  they  under- 
stand all  the  prophets  to  be  manifestations  of  the 

42 


the:  bahai  move:ment  43 

one  Spirit  of  God  to  the  people  of  their  times, 
and  in  this  day  they  see  the  manifestations  again 
of  this  same  Divine  Spirit  through  the  founders 
of  the  Bahai  movement,  by  which  are  reahzed 
all  the  promises  and  prophecies  of  all  the  relig- 
ions regarding  the  Latter-Day  ''Coming,"  and 
The  Kingdom  upon  earth. 

CHRISTIANITY    AND    THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT. 

The  Bahais  believe  that  in  Jesus  appeared 
"The  Word,"  or  The  Spirit  of  God.  This  dif- 
ferentiated Him  from  other  men.  By  virtue  of 
the  Divine  Spirit  which  spoke  through  Him,  he 
was  The  Christ,  the  manifestation  of  God  among 
men.  Through  Him  souls  became  spiritually 
quickened,^  were  reborn,  and  were  lifted  from 
the  condition  of  spiritual  ignorance  (sometimes 
called  sin),  into  one  of  spiritual  enlightenment 
(sometimes  called  salvation). 

Like  the  mission  of  every  prophet,  that  of 
Jesus  The  Christ  was  a  three-fold  one.  First, 
He  fulfilled  the  prophecies  of  the  prophets  who 
preceded  Him  and  proclaimed  His  coming.  Thus, 
in  Him  was  the  consummation  of  the  former  dis- 
pensations. Second,  He  was  the  unique  source 
of  divine  enlightenment  to  the  people  of  His  dis- 
pensation, and  through  the  power  of  His  word 
he  founded  His  cause.  Third,  He  prepared  the 
way  for  the  coming  of  the  great  Latter-Day 
Messiah,  Bah'o'llah,  God  manifesting  Himself  as 
The  Father,  whom  He  and  all  prophets  foretold 
would  arise  in  the  fullness  of  time  and  establish 
The  Kingdom  of  God  upon  earth. 

Jesus  explains  the  divine  plan  for  the  spirit- 
ualization  of  the  world  in  its  entirety  in  the  para- 
ble of  the  "householder  which  planted  a  vine- 
yard" (St.  ]\Iatt.  XXI,  33-41),  in  which  the 
householder  is  symbolic  of  God,  the  creator  of  the 


44  the:  bahai  movement 

world.     The   "vineyard"   symbolizes  the   people 
of  the  world,  while  the  "husbandmen"  are  the 
leaders  of  the  people.     His  "servants"  represent 
the  prophets  sent  by  the  Lord  to  call  the  world 
to   righteousness   and    divine    obedience,   all   of 
whom  the  people  persecuted  and  rejected.     His 
"son"  is  Jesus,  The  Christ,  whose  teaching  was 
refused    by    the    world    which    crucified    Him. 
"When    the    Lord    therefore    of    the    vineyard 
Cometh"  refers  to  the  coming  of  the  Latter-Day 
Messiah,   Baha'o'llah,   while  "he  will  miserably 
destroy  those  wicked  men  and  will  let  out  his 
vineyard   unto   other   husbandmen,   which   shall 
render  him  the  fruits  in  their  seasons,"  is  proph- 
etic of  the  great    outpouring    of    divine  grace 
through  this  new  revelation,    which  will    be  so 
great  as  to  overcome  and  dispel  the  great  power 
of  evil   (spiritual  ignorance)   which  is  dominat- 
ing humanity.  This  day  is  the  time  of  the  world's 
turning  from  humanity  to  divinity.     Baha'o'llah 
has  brought  to  the  world  a  New  Day,  for  with 
His  coming,  old  conditions  passed  away  and  a 
new   dispensation    was    ushered  into   existence. 
The  law  of  equity,  "an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth 
for  a  tooth,"  and  the  Christ  law  of  mercy  and 
love  have  for  centuries  been  known  to  man,  but 
the  power  to  enable  the  world  in  general  to  live 
according  to  the  Christ  law  has  been  given  to  all 
humanity  only  through  Baha'o'llah. 

When  God  came  to  the  world  manifesting 
Himself  as  the  "Son,"  Jesus  Christ,  the  world 
rejected  Him,  "but  as  many  as  received  Him,  to 
them  gave  He  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  them  that  believe  on  His  name."  To 
those  individual  soids  He  gave  His  peace,  but  not 
to  the  world,  because  the  world  did  not  receive 
Him.  This  He  announced  when  He  said: 
"Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on 


THE    BAHAI    MOVE:me:nT  45 

earth ;  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword/' 
Here  again,  as  well  as  in  other  instances,  Christ 
states  that  His  dispensation  was  to  be  a  militant 
one,  which  would  in  the  end  of  the  age  be  fol- 
lowed by  another,  a  triumphant  dispensation  of 
divine  grace  and  peace  here  on  earth.  Now  Ba- 
ha'o'llah  has  brought  that  peace  to  the  world. 
He  is  "The  Prince  of  Peace/'  who  has  come  to 
the  world  and  has  established  the  foundation  of 
peace  on  earth.  How  clearly  Isaiah,  the  prophet, 
saw  this  coming  of  the  Lord  when  He  wrote, 
*'For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is 
given,  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  His 
shoulder  and  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonder- 
ful, Counsellor,  The  Mighty  God,  the  Everlast- 
ing Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace." 

No  one  touched  by  the  spirit  of  Christianity 
can  fail  to  recognize  that  the  Bahai  teaching  is 
only  the  perfection  of  Christianity,  for  to  be  a 
real  Christian  in  spirit  is  to  be  a  Bahai,  and  to  be 
a  real  Bahai  is  to  be  a  Christian.  As  one 
reads  the  words  of  Christ  and  the  testimony  of 
the  apostles,  who  received  from  him  many  teach- 
ings, there  stands  out  one  promise  above  all  other 
things — his  second  coming  among  men — another 
appearance  of  the  Christ  spirit.  The  Word  of 
God  in  the  temple  of  man.  This  manifestation 
to  be  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the  old  order 
of  human  differences  and  at  the  same  time  to 
usher  in  the  new  order  of  divine  peace  here 
on  earth.  All  is  summed  up  in  the  promise  "The 
Kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  King- 
doms of  Our  Lord,  and  of  His  Christ  and  He 
shall  reign  forever  and  ever." 

JUDAISM  AND  THE  BAHAI   MOVEMENT. 

The  Bahais  regard  the  Hebrew  prophets  as  re- 
vealers  of  divine  truth.     Through  these  various 


46  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

channels  The  Word  was  revealed,  souls  were 
quickened  with  divine  life  and  obeyed  the  divine 
laws,  and  the  way  was  prepared  for  the  coming 
of  The  Kingdom  on  earth.  These  prophets  from 
the  earliest,  Abraham,  down  to  the  last,  Malachi, 
formed  a  complete  chain.  Each  built  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  teachings  of  His  predecessors ; 
each  ministered  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  peo- 
ple of  his  day,  and  each  extended  to  humanity 
the  promise  of  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  at  the 
end  of  the  days,  and  of  the  righting  of  all  things 
in  the  establishment  of  the  reign  of  God  among 
men. 

As  one  reads  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  the 
prophecies  of  the  coming  Messianic  Dispensa- 
tion are  found  to  be  the  one  great  thread  running 
through  all.  In  this  promise  is  heard  the  one 
divine  voice  of  The  Word  of  God  speaking 
through  the  personalities  of  the  many  prophets 
or  mouthpieces,  or  channels  of  truth. 

In  the  Jewish  holy  books  are  found  prophecies 
pertaining  in  particular  to  two  manifestations  of 
''The  Word,"  to  come.  The  so-called  first  and 
second  comings  of  the  Messiah;  those  relating  to 
the  first  coming  were  fulfilled  in  the  coming  and 
mission  of  Jesus,  The  Christ,  while  those  regard- 
ing the  second  coming  are  fulfilled  in  these  latter 
days  in  the  coming  of  ''The  Ancient  of  Days", 
Baha'o'llah  with  His  precursor,  The  Bab,  in 
whom  was  The  Spirit  of  EHjah  (Malachi  IV :5), 
and  His  "Servant,  The  Branch",  (Zech.  111:8), 
who  is  Abdul-Baha. 

It  was  through  the  study  of  the  prophecies  re- 
garding the  second  coming,  as  recorded  by  the 
prophet  Daniel,  that  the  Millerites  learned  that 
the  Messiah  was  to  come  in  the  year  1844.  They 
expected  His  miraculous  appearance  in  the  clouds 
and  were  disappointed.    The  Bab  came  and  Ab- 


THE    BAHAI    MOVE:mENT  47 

dul-Baha  was  born  at  this  appointed  time,  fulfill- 
ing prophecy,  but  in  a  manner  not  anticipated 
by  men.  The  country  of  Carniel  and  Sharon  in 
the  Holy  Land,  to  which  Baha'o'llah  was  sent  in 
exile,  and  where  He  lived  and  taught,  was  the 
place  designated  by  the  ancient  seers  of  Biblical 
fame,  where  the  "Ancient  of  Days"  would  ap- 
pear. The  glory  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts  to  come, 
and  the  power  and  majesty  of  His  spiritual  rule 
upon  earth  are  testified  to  by  prophet  and  psalm- 
ist in  the  most  inspiring  passages  of  Hebrew 
sacred  writ,  while  the  peace,  prosperity  and  gen- 
eral upliftment  of  humanity  resulting  therefrom 
are  most  vividly  depicted. 

The  mission  of  the  Jewish  people  was  a  relig- 
ious one.  From  the  seed  of  the  progenitor  of 
this  people  have  come  the  founders  of  great  re- 
ligions of  the  past,  as  well  as  the  founders  of  the 
great  religion  of  the  present  and  future.  From 
Abraham,  through  the  line  of  Isaac  came  Moses 
and  Jesus ;  through  Ishmael  came  Mohammed 
and  The  Bab ;  while  from  the  line  of  another 
son  (Abraham  had  six  sons  other  than  Isaac 
and  Ishmael)  was  descended  Jesse,*  from  whom 
descended  Baha'o'llah. 

ISLAM   AND  THE  BAHAI   MOVEMENT. 

The  prophet  Mohammed  taught  submission  to 
the  will  of  God.  Islam  means  "Submission". 
Mohammed  arose  in  Arabia  at  a  time  of  spiritual 
need  when  the  people  were  sunken  in  ignorance 
and  superstition.  Through  his  guidance,  idol- 
atry and  immorality  were  changed  into  the  wor- 
ship of  the  one  God,  and  into  high  moral  stand- 
ards.  He  brought  a  code  of  laws  and  ordinances 

*Not  Jesse,  the  father  of  David,  but  another  of  the  same  name, 
This  point  was  explained  to  the  writer  by  Abdul-Baha  at  Haifa. 
May,  1910. 


48  rut  bahai  move:ment 

perfectly  adapted  to  the  spiritual  and  material 
needs  of  the  people  of  His  day.  These  people,  be- 
cause of  their  extreme  degradation,  had  been  un- 
touched both  by  Judaism  and  Christianity.  They 
needed  a  teaching  and  a  code  of  laws  suited  to 
their  own  special  condition. 

The  rise  of  the  Moslem  civilization  has  had 
no  parallel  in  history.  United  under  the  stand- 
ard of  the  belief  in  one  God  and  the  immortality 
of  the  soul,  the  fierce  sons  of  the  Arabian  desert, 
in  an  incredibly  short  time,  evolved  into  a  highly 
cultured  people,  their  sciences,  arts  and  litera- 
ture having  contributed  much  toward  our  pres- 
ent western  civilization. 

As  division,  superstition  and  decay  crept  into 
the  Moslem  Church  the  people  retrograded,  until 
in  a  few  centuries  after  the  death  of  Mohammed 
the  spirit  of  his  teaching  was  a  thing  of  the  past, 
and  Moslem  civilization  was  in  a  decline. 

Islam,  like  Christianity  and  every  other  re- 
ligion, can  not  be  judged  by  its  later  followers. 
The  student  must  go  to  its  source  in  order  to  as- 
certain its  truths.  In  Christianity,  the  history  of 
the  divisions  and  wars  between  the  churches  is 
one  thing,  and  the  teaching  of  Christ  is  another 
thing.  So  it  is  in  Islam.  The  present  condition 
of  its  people,  and  the  condition  to  which  the 
prophet  called  them  are  indeed  very  different. 
The  Moslems  look  for  three  manifestations  in 
the  latter  days  (it  being  literally  expressed  in 
their  teachings  as  three  trumpet  calls).  Accord- 
ing to  the  traditions  of  Islam,  seven  years  and 
forty  years,  respectively,  were  to  separate  these 
calls  or  comings.  This  corresponds  to  the  mis- 
sions of  The  Bab  and  of  Baha'o'llah  which  lasted 
seven,  and  forty  years. 

Islam  teaches  of  a  day  (a  time  or  period)  of 
spiritual  resurrection  and  judgment,  and  of  the 


THE    BAHAI    MOVE:mi:nT  49 

coming  of  the  Christ,  preceded  by  the  Mahdi  (di- 
rector or  guide),  and  of  the  estabHshment  of 
The  Kingdom  upon  earth. 

The  Moslem  beheves  the  latter-day  time  of 
spiritual  awakening  or  resurrection,  through  the 
giving  forth  of  the  Word  of  God,  to  be  the  time 
of  the  world's  judgment,  the  people  being  their 
own  judges,  as  they  choose  to  accept  or  to  re- 
ject the  newly  revealed  truth.  This  time  was  to 
be  accompanied  by  certain  signs  similar  to  those 
mentioned  in  the  Bible,  such  as :  The  coming  of 
the  spirit  of  Anti-Christ  (which  is  infidelity), 
decay  of  religious  faith  among  men,  and  the  ac- 
companying demoralization  which  this  musi 
bring  with  it. 

Many  Moslems  have  come  into  the  Bahai  faith, 
accepting  The  Bab  as  the  promised  Mahdi  and 
Baha'o'llah  as  the  Christ  (Spirit),  who  was  to 
come,  for  both  have  fulfilled  their  prophecies  and 
traditions  of  which  there  are  many.  According 
to  them,  The  Bab  appeared  from  the  East 
and  made  his  public  declaration  at  Mecca, 
at  the  place  and  time  prophesied  (1844 
A.  D.  or  1260  A.  H.),  and  taught  dur- 
ing the  anticipated  length  of  time.  Also,  Baha'- 
o'llah arose  in  Irak  and  went  to  Akka  and  Car- 
mel  in  Syria.  His  mission  lasted  40  years.  The 
many  details  are  so  clearly  traced  in  tra- 
dition and  prophecy,  that  it  is  very  easy  for 
the  orthodox  Moslem  to  realize  the  truth  of  the 
claims  of  both,  and  to  see  in  their  missions  the 
fulfillment  of  the  Islamic  prophecies. 

ZOROASTRIANISM  AND  THE)  BAHAI  MOV^MKNT. 

The  present  Zoroastrians,  or  Parsees,  are  but 
the  remnant  of  a  once  powerful  people.  Dur- 
ing the  many  vicissitudes  of  war  and  national  de- 
cay their  ancient  political  power  has  become  dis- 


50  THE)   BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

sipated,  and  through  contact  with  peoples  of 
other  rehgions  their  original  religious  teaching 
has  lost  its  purity,  and  a  lifeless  formalism  has 
taken  the  place  of  its  once  vital  spiritual  force. 
As  for  the  sacred  literature  of  the  Zoroastrians, 
it,  like  themselves,  is  now  but  fragmentary;  the 
elements  necessary  to  give  it  complete  compre- 
hensive form  are  lost. 

Although  many  connecting  links  are  missing 
in  Zoroastrian  holy  writ,  nevertheless  its  spirit 
is  clear  and  apparent.  Zoroaster  taught  a  pure 
monotheism  and  the  future  existence  and  im- 
mortality of  the  soul,  all  of  which  He  explained 
to  the  people  in  familiar  terms  and  parables. 
The  physical  sun,  which  is  the  source  of  all  phy- 
sical life,  He  used  as  the  symbol  for  the  sun  of 
truth,  the  manifestation  of  God,  the  source 
of  all  spiritual  life,  while  the  stars  sym- 
bolized the  lesser  prophets.  Purity  is  a  funda- 
mental teaching  in  Zoroastrianism.  Both  spir- 
itual and  physical  purity  are  taught  in  its  laws 
and  ordinances,  which  were  given  in  terms 
couched  to  meet  the  need  of  mankind  in  that  an- 
cient day.  Fire  being  the  great  cleanser,  it  is 
the  emblem  used  to  denote  spiritual  purity,  for 
it  is  through  the  spiritual  fire  of  the  love  of  God 
that  men's  souls  are  purified  and  quickened  into 
eternal  life.  Zoroaster  is  pictured  as  bringing 
down  from  heaven  the  divine  fire  with  which  to 
purify  mankind.  The  spiritual  meaning  of  this 
is  apparent,  although  for  centuries  the  under- 
standing of  these  truths  was  lost  and  the  people 
ignorantly  adhered  to  the  outer  forms,  worship- 
ping the  sun,  the  stars  and  fire,  hence  the  terms 
applied  to  them,  "Sun  and  Fire  Worshippers". 

The  same  idea  of  resurrection  or  quickening, 
spiritual  judgment  and  The  Kingdom  of 
God  on  earth,  expressed  in  other  religious  teach- 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  51 

ings,  are  found  in  Zoroastrianism.  The  end  of 
the  Zoroastrian  dispensation,  it  was  foretold  in 
their  sacred  literature,  would  be  characterized 
by  spiritual  impurity,  therefore  the  need  of  an- 
other manifestation  to  bring  to  earth  the  divine 
fire  of  the  love  of  God  for  the  purification  of  all 
people.  The  teaching  has  a  number  of  prophecies 
regarding  the  coming  of  the  great  Latter-Day 
Prophet,  spoken  of  as  Shah  Bahram,  and  the 
purification  of  the  people  of  the  earth  by  fire — 
the  fire  of  the  spirit. 

The  expectation  of  this  coming  of  the  prophet 
is  symbolized  in  the  Zoroastrian  worship,  when 
the  people  turn  to  worship  to  the  rising  sun.  As 
the  same  physical  sun  rises  and  sets  again  and 
again,  giving  life  to  the  earth,  so  does  the  sun  of 
God's  truth  rise  in  each  prophetic  day  and 
through  the  personality  of  the  prophet  of  that 
day  gives  life  to  the  souls  which  receive  the  rays 
of  its  spiritual  warmth  and  power. 

The  Zoroastrians  who  are  now  hearing  of  the 
message  of  the  Bahai  Movement  are  realizing 
that  it  is  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecies  and 
the  spirit  of  their  own  religion,  and  through  this 
teaching  they  are  coming  into  touch  with  kindred 
spirits  in  all  the  world.  Thus  they  are  arising 
to  perform  their  service  in  this  great  work  of 
uniting  all  men  in  the  love  of  The  Kingdom. 

HINDUISM   AND   THE  BAH.AI    MOVEMENT. 

The  origin  of  Hinduism  (Brahmanism),  on 
account  of  the  lack  of  annals  and  records  in  its 
literature,  is  practically  lost  to  history.  As 
it  now  is,  Hinduism  is  a  most  complex  sys- 
tem of  philosophical  thought,  manners  and  cus- 
toms. It  lacks  that  unity  of  spirit  and  of  form 
which  the  teaching  originally  possessed.  In  all 
religious  systems  men's  ideas  have  gradually  re- 


52  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

placed  the  inspired  wisdom  of  the  founders.  In 
Hinduism  this  is  particularly  true,  so  much  so 
that  it  is  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the 
original  spirit  and  teaching  can  be  traced.  Even 
some  of  the  most  learned  students  of  Hindu  phil- 
osophy, have  doubted  that  originally  Hinduism 
was  a  revealed  teaching,  for  since  its  sacred 
books  contain  no  chronicles,  the  personalities  of 
the  revealers  have  been  lost. 

Of  the  truth  in  the  original  Hindu  teachings, 
however,  there  is  no  doubt,  for  the  voice  of  the 
Spirit,  the  source  of  all  religion,  speaks  yet  to- 
day through  its  holy  books,  the  Vedas,  despite 
the  lapse  of  time  since  they  were  written. 

According  to  the  teaching  in  the  most  ancient 
of  the  Hindu  sacred  books,  God  the  creator,  is 
all  in  all,  beside  whom  there  is  none  other.  Sac- 
rifice is  taught  as  the  means  of  attaining  near- 
ness to  God.  Material  sacrifice  is  the  symbol  for 
the  sacrifice  of  all  worldly  desires  and  pas- 
sions which  separate  men's  souls  from  God,  the 
highest  attainment  being  that  perfect  at-onement 
with  God  which  the  giving  up  of  every  desire 
and  passion  alone  can  bring.  Since  God  only  is 
all  in  all,  only  the  life  in  Him  can  be  without 
change  or  end.    This  is  eternal  life. 

The  teaching  in  its  original  purity  was  a  sim- 
ple monotheism.  The  divine  spirit  spoke  to  the 
people  through  the  medium.ship  of  different  per- 
sonalities at  different  times.  These  inspired 
souls  arose  as  the  need  for  their  teachings  be- 
came evident  among  men,  to  whom  they  were 
sent  as  spiritual  guides. 

This  thought  is  most  clearly  expressed  in  one 
of  the  Hindu  sacred  books,  the  "Bhagavad-Gita" 
or  the  Lord's  Song,  in  which  it  is  written, 
"Whenever  there  is  decay  of  righteousness  and 
there  is  exaltation  of  unrighteousness,   then   I 


THi:    BAHAI    MOVE^MKNT  53 

Myself  come  forth.  For  the  protection  of  the 
good,  for  the  destruction  of  evil  doers,  for  the 
sake  of  firmly  establishing  righteousness,  I  am 
born  from  age  to  age.  The  foolish  disregard  Me 
when  clad  in  human  semblance,  ignorant  of  My 
supreme  nature,  the  great  Lord  of  beings."  The 
Hindus  have  here  the  promise  of  the  coming  of 
a  great  incarnation,  Krishna,  to  occur  in  this  day. 
He  was  to  arise  and  establish  universal  righteous- 
ness and  destroy  spiritual  ignorance  or  sin. 

The  latter-day  Krishna  was  to  lead  the  people 
back  to  the  spirit  of  pure  teaching  as  given  by  His 
predecessors,  (former  manifestations  of  the 
spirit  of  the  Lord)  and  through  spiritual  wis- 
dom and  power  was  to  overcome  all  unright- 
eousness establishing  in  its  place  spiritual  en- 
lightenment. Those  illumined  Hindus  whom 
the  Bahai  cause  is  reaching  see  in  Baha'o'llah  the 
incarnation  of  the  spirit  of  God  and  they  accept 
him  as  their  promised  one,  Krishna. 

Thus,  the  Bahai  teaching  confirms  the  Hindu 
in  the  fundamental  truth  of  his  own  religion,  and 
it  frees  him  from  the  superstition  and  caste  which 
have  for  centuries  kept  his  people  in  a  state  of 
both  spiritual  and  physical  bondage.  Under  this 
influence  he  attains  to  the  real  spirit  of  sacrifice 
as  given  in  his  ancient  teachings,  and  to  the  real 
emancipation  of  the  soul,  which  is  in  truth  the 
fundamental  tenet  of  the  most  ancient  Hindus. 

BUDDHISM    AND   THE,   BAHAI    M0VE:ME:NT. 

Buddhism  stands  in  the  relation  to  Hinduism 
very  much  as  Christianity  does  to  Judaism. 
Chrisitanity  sprang  from  Judaism  as  the  mother 
religion,  in  like  manner  Buddhism  came  out 
from  Hinduism.  As  Christianity  and  Judaism 
evolved  two  widely  differing  systems  of  philos- 
ophy, so  have  Buddhism  and  Hinduism  evolved 


54  THi:   BAHAI    MOVEMEJNT 

two  theological  systems,  which  not  only  do  not 
resemble  each  other,  but  are  in  direct  opposition. 
Jesus,  the  Christ,  came  not  to  destroy  but 
to  fulfill  the  law  and  prophets.  Guatama, 
The  Buddha,  had  no  intention  of  depart- 
ing from  the  true  spiritual  and  original  pre- 
cepts of  the  teachings  of  Hinduism.  His  mis- 
sion was  to  teach  the  people  the  divine  signifi- 
cance of  the  past  teachings,  which  had  become 
to  them  but  an  empty  form.  Through  Him  mil- 
lions of  souls  have  received  God's  truth  in  the 
measure  of  their  capacity,  and  according  to  the 
degree  their  condition  demanded. 

The  Buddha  taught  of  the  one  God,  and  of  the 
life  eternal.  The  state  of  nearness  to  God  is 
termed  nirvana,  by  the  Buddhists.  It  is  syn- 
onymous with  the  word  heaven  as  used  in  the 
holy  writings  of  other  religions.  Gautama 
wrote  no  books.  The  events  of  His  life,  and  His 
words  and  teachings  were  recorded  by  His  disci- 
ples and  have  been  handed  down  to  the  people 
of  succeeding  generations. 

Of  the  original  teachings  of  The  Buddha 
much  has  been  lost,  and  replaced  by  the  doc- 
trines and  beliefs  of  men  who  came  after  Him. 
In  fact  the  latter-day  Buddhist  teachings,  so  rich 
in  the  ramifications  and  speculations  of  philo- 
sophical thought,  bear  about  as  much  resemblance 
to  the  original  spiritual  teachings  of  The  Budd- 
ha, as  the  present  day  multiplicity  of  creeds  of 
any  one  of  the  world  religions  bears  to  the  real 
teachings  of  its  founder. 

The  Buddhists,  like  the  Bahais,  consider  all 
religions  to  be,  from  the  spiritual  standpoint,  one 
religion.  They  are  without  religious  prejudice. 
They  welcome  all  high  elevating  thought  and 
teaching  irrespective  of  its  source.  They  believe 
Gautama,  The  Buddha,  to  have  been  one  of  a  se- 


THE    BAHAI    MOVE:ME:nT  55 

ries  of  inspired  souls  sent  to  the  peoples  of  va- 
rious ages  for  divine  training  and  guidance. 
As  there  were  Buddhas  who  preceded  Him,  so 
there  would  be  Buddhas  who  would  succeed  Him. 
They  expect  the  coming  of  Maitreya,  or  the 
great  Fifth  Buddha,  whose  coming,  according  to 
their  traditions,  is  now  due.  His  work  is  to  be 
with  all  mankind  and  through  Him  the  earthly 
conditions  of  the  past  are  to  change  and  be  re- 
placed by  an  age  of  divine  wisdom  and  under- 
standing. 

The  following  excerpt  from  the  recorded 
teachings  of  Gautama  to  His  disciple  Ananda, 
given  just  previous  to  His  death,  explains  in  a 
few  words  much  of  his  teaching,  "I  am  not  the 
first  Buddha  who  came  upon  earth,  nor  shall  I  be 
the  last.  I  came  to  teach  you  the  truth,  and  I 
have  founded  upon  earth  The  Kingdom  of  Truth. 
Gautama  Siddhartha  will  die,  but  Buddha  will 
live,  for  Buddha  is  the  truth  and  the  truth  cannot 
die.  He  who  believes  in  the  truth  and  lives  in  it 
is  My  disciple,  and  I  shall  teach  him.  The  reli- 
gion which  I  have  preached  to  you  will  flourish 
so  long  as  my  disciples  cling  to  the  truth,  and  lead 
a  life  of  purity.  In  due  time  another  Buddha  will 
arise,  and  He  will  reveal  to  you  the  selfsame  eter- 
nal truth  which  I  have  taught  you".  Ananda 
said:  ''How  shall  we  know  Him?"  Gautama  re- 
pHed:  ''He  will  be  known  as  Maitreya,  which 
means,'He  whose  name  is  Kindness'." 

MODE:rN  thought  and  the:  BAHAI  MOVEMENT 

During  the  past  sixty  or  seventy  years  so- 
called  "Modern  Thought"  has  entered  into  the 
fold  of  every  religion,  preparing  the  people  for  a 
broad,  universal  conception  of  God's  truth,  a  con- 
ception unfettered  by  the  mental  limitations  of 
past    ages.       Although    it     is     called   "Modern 


56  the:  bahai  move;mknt 

Thought,"  it  is  in  reahty  the  most  ancient 
thought,  for  it  is  the  resurrection  of  the  spirit 
which  the  rehgions  originally  possessed,  and 
which  during  so  many  centuries  was  lost  to  hu- 
manity. 

Modern  Thought  has  been  as  a  plough,  which 
has  prepared  the  religious  ground  of  the  world  to 
receive  the  spiritual  seeds  of  The  Kingdom.  Mod- 
ernism has  uprooted  ancient  creed  and  dogma, 
and  along  with  this  uprooting,  the  faith  of  many 
has  been  shaken  and  much  spiritual  seeking  has 
resulted.  Now  the  Bahai  teaching  is  sowing  the 
seeds  of  a  live  faith  in  men's  souls.  It  is  demon- 
strating to  the  world  that  faith,  religion  and  spir- 
ituality are  vital  and  necessary  forces  in  the 
world  of  humanity,  and  that  they  have  nothing 
in  common  with  the  superstitions  and  imagina- 
tions of  the  past.  The  Modern  Thoughtists  of  all 
races  and  religions  are  teaching  the  same  princi- 
ples as  held  by  the  followers  of  the  Bahai  cause. 
They  realize  that  humanity  as  a  whole  is  now 
passing  through  a  period  of  spiritual  rebirth, 
and  this  is  the  beginning  of  the  age  of  spiritual 
wisdom,  which  is  the  millenniutn.  In  the  great 
spiritual  organism  of  the  universe,  the  various 
parts  and  members  are  organically  united  and 
linked  together  as  are  the  organs  of  the  body. 
As  there  have  been  great  changes  and  upheavals 
in  the  evolution  of  the  material  world,  due  to  ma- 
terial causes,  so  there  have  been  great  phases  of 
change  and  development  in  the  evolution  of  the 
spiritual  world,  due  to  the  action  of  spiritual 
causes. 

The  present  day  awakening,  as  seen  in  all  of 
the  many  branches  of  Modern  Thought,  and  the 
coming  of  another  revelation  are  the  direct  re- 
sult of  certain  great  changes  taking  place  in  the 
spiritual  realm  of  existence,  which  are  being  pro- 


THS    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  57 

duced  by  spiritual  causes.  In  the  early  morning 
when  the  sun  is  yet  below  the  horizon,  the  heav- 
ens are  illumined  by  its  rays  and  the  coming  of 
day  is  evident  to  all.  As  the  sun  slowly  rises,  those 
upon  the  high  places  first  see  it,  later  those  in  the 
valleys  see  it  also ;  and  when  it  is  at  its  zenith  the 
whole  country  is  receiving  its  rays  and  basking  in 
its  warmth. 

So  it  is  when  the  sun  of  truth  manifests  here 
upon  earth  for  the  guidance  of  the  people.  The 
manifestation  or  revelator,  is  preceded  by  the 
signs  of  spiritual  awakening,  which  show  the 
people  that  a  new  spiritual  day  or  era  is  at  hand. 
Those  illumined  souls  of  high  spiritual  discern- 
ment first  recognize  in  the  revealer  or  prophet, 
the  source  of  the  light  of  God;  later,  the  people 
in  general  awaken  to  His  spiritual  power  and 
wisdom  and  finally,  through  His  teaching,  both 
material  and  spiritual  bounties  are  forthcoming 
to  the  world. 

This  wave  of  modernism  which  has  swept  over 
the  world,  dispelling  the  night  of  spiritual  igno- 
rance and  superstition,  is  the  first  twilight  of  the 
great  day  of  God  upon  earth.  Already  many 
illumined  souls  are  seeing  in  the  inspired  reveal- 
ers  of  the  Bahai  religion  the  light  of  the  world 
to  be  and  its  point  of  diffusion.  Later  on,  the 
whole  world  will  realize  that  which  now  only  the 
few  see.  Then,  all  humanity  will  be  the  recipi- 
ents in  full  of  the  much  anticipated  bounties  of 
The  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth. 

Resume. 

As  the  people  of  the  various  religions  come 
into  the  spirit  of  the  Bahai  Cause,  their  faith 
in  the  truth  of  their  own  religion  is  augmented 
rather  than  lessened,  for  the  spirit  of  this  present 


58  the:  bahai  move:ment 

day  teaching  is  the  same  as  that  which  actuated 
the  early  fathers  of  the  ancient  religions. 

The  Bahai  Movement  teach-^s  severance.  In 
his  heart  man  must  be  severed  from  the  world 
and  its  passions.  His  dependence  must  be  upon 
God  though  outwardly  he  must  live  in  the  world, 
there  fulfilling  his  material  mission  in  life. 

In  the  Bahai  life,  severance  is  comprised  in  the 
rebirth  of  the  Christian,  the  spirit  of  obedience 
of  the  Jew,  the  submission  of  the  Moslem,  the 
purification  of  the  Zoroastrian,  the  sacrifice  of 
the  Hindu,  the  renunciation  of  the  Buddhist,  and 
the  ''living  in  harmony  with  the  divine"  of  the 
Modern  Thoughtist.  In  the  Bahai  movement,  is 
summed  up  all  of  the  spiritual  essence  of  the  re- 
ligions of  the  past,  which  is  now  given  in  a  form 
most  applicable  to  the  present  day  needs  of  man, 
and  adequate  to  cope  with  the  modern  universal 
problems. 


IIV. 

THE  BAHAI  SACRED  WRITINGS 

The  Bah. 

The  book  of  The  Bab,  or  His  collective  writ- 
ings, is  known  as  ''The  Beyan".  That  the  mis- 
sion of  The  Bab  was  introductory  to  the  advent 
of  Baha'o'llah  is  most  clearly  stated  in  this  book, 
in  which  the  coming  of  "Him  whom  God  shall 
manifest"  is  the  one  great  theme.  In  it  The  Bab 
exhorts  the  people  spiritually  to  prepare  them- 
selves to  meet  and  to  recognize  and  to  adhere  to, 
Baha'o'llah  when  He  should  appear.  He  left 
certain  laws  and  ordinances  for  the  guidance  of 
His  followers  until  the  advent  of  Baha'o'llah, 
all  of  which  should  be  abrogated,  with  the 
promised  coming.  These  writings,  calculated  to 
meet  and  minister  to  the  local  conditions  which 
were  chiefly  Islamic,  have  as  yet  not  been  trans- 
lated into  English. 

Baha'o'llah. 

The  writings  of  Baha'o'llah  are  numerous  and 
are  in  general,  comparatively  brief  treatises.  Of 
these  a  number  have  been  translated  and  pub- 
lished in  the  Occidental  languages,  while  others 
still  remain  in  the  original  Persian  and  Arabic 
texts. 

One  of  the  first  books  translated  and  published 
m  English  was  the  Kitabii  'l-Ighan  (The  Book  of 
Assurance).  This  was  written  by  Baha'o'llah 
during  His  exile  in  Baghdad,  and  was  a  reply  to 
certain  theological  questions  asked  by  a  learned 
Mussulman  divine.  While  the  expression  is 
couched  in  terms  peculiar  to  Islamic  thought, 
yet,  deeper  than  these  terms,  are  revealed  uni- 

59 


60  the:  bahai  move:me:nt 

versal  spiritual  teachings  the  essence  of  which 
appeals  to  the  people  of  any  religion. 

In  the  Book  of  Assurance,  Baha'o'llah  quotes 
familiar  texts  from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments 
of  the  Bible,  and  from  the  Koran  of  Mohammed, 
and  He  explains  the  spiritual  truths  contained  in 
these  three  books,  relative  to  the  end  and  passing 
of  the  old  dispensations,  the  coming  of  the  Mes- 
siah, and  the  ushering  into  existence  of  the  new 
dispensation  of  The  Kingdom  upon  earth.  He 
demonstrates  the  oneness  of  the  teachings  of  the 
Jewish,  Christian  and  Mussulman  Holy  litera- 
ture regarding  this  Latter-Day  advent  of  the 
Lord. 

In  the  Suratu'l  Hykl  (Chapter  upon  the  Tem- 
ple or  Body)  Baha'o'llah  treats  of  His  calling, 
His  arising  in  response  thereto,  and  His  mission 
here  among  men. 

In  The  Book  of  the  Seven  Valleys,  Baha'o'llah 
explains  the  different  stages  of  the  spiritual 
progress  or  development  of  the  soul  of  man. 
These  stages  He  divides  into  seven,  which  He 
terms  "Valleys".  This  book  was  written  to  elu- 
cidate certain  truths  from  the  standpoint  of  A^Eys- 
ticism.  In  order  to  appreciate  it,  one  must  un- 
derstand and  be  in  sympathy  with  the  spirit  and 
teachings  of  the  Mystics. 

In  the  Lawhu'l-Akdas  (The  Holy  Tablet) 
Baha'o'llah  explains  His  cause  to  the  Christian 
world.  He  demonstrates  that  now  is  the  time  of 
the  end  spoken  of  by  Jesus,  The  Christ,  and  He 
exhorts  the  Christians  to  consider  the  importance 
of  this  day  and  of  its  cause.  He  demonstrates 
the  necessity  for  relinquishing  dependence  upon 
the  creeds  and  customs  of  the  past  ages,  and  ex- 
horts all  to  adhere  to  the  pure  truth  of  the  words 
of  Jesus  which,  when  understood,  will  confirm 
the  truth  revealed  again  in  this  day. 


Tn^    BAHAI    MOVE^MKNT  61 

The  Hidden  Words  (in  two  parts,  one  trans- 
lated from  the  original  Arabic  text  and  the  other 
from  the  Persian)  contain  the  essence  of  the 
spiritual  truths  revealed  by  the  divine  revelators 
of  the  past.  In  these  utterances  the  fundamental 
divine  truths  are  again  revealed  to  humanity  in 
terms  applicable  to  the  exigencies  of  this  age. 
Each  verse  is  replete  with  spiritual  significances, 
and  in  each  is  hidden  a  message,  or  word,  for  the 
hungry  soul. 

The  Tablets  of  Tarazat,  Tajalleyat  and  Ishra- 
kat,  contain  exhortations  regarding  the  conduct 
of  man.  In  these  books  Baha'o'llah  dwells  upon 
those  virtues,  through  the  practice  of  which  spir- 
itually awakened  man  will  evolve  and  attain  to 
the  state  of  nearness  to  God. 

In  the  Kitahu'l-Akdas  (Book  of  the  Law)  Ba- 
ha'o'llah outlines  both  the  material  and  spiritual 
laws  for  the  guidance  of  the  people  of  the  com- 
ing dispensation.  He  provides  for  governmental 
laws  based  upon  divine  laws.  These  laws  are  not 
arbitrary.  They  are  given  with  divine  wisdom 
and  their  virtue  will  become  apparent  as  men 
live  in  accordance  with  their  statutes,  for 
through  so  doing,  the  source  of  the  ills  of  the  day 
will  disappear.  The  ordinances  of  the  Bahai 
cause  aim  at  the  eradication  of  wrong-doing 
rather  than  the  chastisement  of  those  who  perpe- 
trate wickedness. 

The  Kitabu'l-Ahd  (Book  of  the  Testament) 
is  the  will  and  testament  of  Baha'o'llah  to  His 
followers.  In  this  document  He  provides  for  the 
guidance  of  His  followers  after  His  passing,  by 
appointing  His  beloved  son,  Abdul-Baha,  to  be 
the  Center  of  His  Covenant,  towards  whom  all 
of  the  faithful  should  turn. 

Baha'o'llah  left  many  other  writings  to  the 
world.     These  are,  for  the  greater  part,  in  the 


62  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

form  of  epistles  or  "Tablets,"  written  to  individ- 
uals. Noteworthy  among  these  are  the  "Epistles 
to  the  Kings",  written  just  previous  to  His  ar- 
rival at  Akka,  and  sent  from  this  prison  to  all 
parts  of  the  world,  during  His  incarceration. 

In  these  Tablets  Baha'o'llah  declares  His 
Cause  to  the  kings  and  potentates  of  the  earth, 
exhorting  them  to  turn  to  The  Kingdom  and  to 
The  Promised  One  whom  God  had  sent  to  estab- 
lish peace  upon  earth,  to  abolish  warfare,  and  to 
give  their  attention  to  the  establishment  of  those 
institutions  which  would  benefit  their  subjects. 

Abdul-Baha 

The  writings  of  Abdul-Baha  are  for  the 
greater  part  epistles  (''Tablets")  written  to  indi- 
viduals, or  to  assemblies  of  the  followers.  These 
are  explanatory  of  the  revealed  writings  of  Baha- 
'o'llah. A  number  of  Abdul-Baha's  lessons  upon 
various  spiritual  subjects  have  been  collected, 
translated  and  published  by  one  of  his  followers, 
under  the  title  of  ''Some  Answered  Questions''. 
This  work  is  of  value  to  the  student  who  desires 
an  insight  into  the  spirit  of  the  teaching.  Abdul- 
Baha's  mission  is  that  of  amplifying  and  apply- 
ing the  truth  as  revealed  by  his  father.  This, 
Abdul-Baha  is  accompHshing  by  his  life  of  serv- 
ice and  example  even  more  than  by  his  words. 
His  Life  is  his  book.  From  him  is  proceeding 
that  power  of  understanding  which  is  enabling 
his  followers  to  realize  and  to  attain  to  the  spir- 
itual admonitions  of  Baha'o'llah. 

In  reading  the  translations  of  the  writings  of 
The  Bab,  Baha'o'llah  and  Abdul-Baha,  the  west- 
erner should  always  bear  in  mind  two  things: 
1st,  these  original  writings  were  in  the  sym- 
bolic and  florid  style  of  the  Persian  or  Arabic 
tongues,  many  of  the  expressions  and  similes  of 


the:  bahai  moveme:nt  63 

which  are  untranslatable  and,  perforce,  have  been 
rendered  literally,  consequently  much  of  the  rich 
poetic  oriental  expression  is  out  of  harmony  with 
the  more  matter-of-fact  occidental  tongue, 
through  which,  in  translation,  it  is  forced  to  ex- 
press itself ;  2d,  many  of  these  writings  were 
sent  to  people  in  intellectual  conditions  foreign 
to  those  to  which  we  are  accustomed  here  in  the 
west.  The  object  of  these  teachers  being  to  make 
spiritual  connection  with  souls,  they  sometimes 
employ  one  line  of  thought  and  terminology,  and 
sometimes  another,  from  an  entirely  different  point 
of  view.  For  instance,  in  order  to  reach  a  Mussul- 
man the  argument  must  be  Islamic,  whereas  to 
reach  a  Christian,  it  must  be  Christian,  etc. 

In  studying  these  writings  let  the  reader  first 
familiarize  himself  with  all  the  conditions  under 
which  they  were  written :  the  writer,  the  people 
to  whom  he  was  writing,  their  previous  religious 
training,  the  tongue,  etc. ;  then  he  will  under- 
stand the  spiritual  wisdom  of  the  writings,  the 
truth  of  which  will  not  be  obscured  by  expres- 
sion, names  or  terminology. 


VIII. 

SOCIAL  REFORMS,   LAWS,   AND   ORDI- 
NANCES 

Not  only  did  Baha'o'llah  reveal  spiritual  laws 
and  principles  for  the  people  of  the  world,  but 
He  also  outlined  social  reforms  for  the  more  ma- 
terial guidance  and  well-being  of  mankind. 

The  spiritual  or  religious  foundation  is  the  es- 
sential foundation;  social  reforms  are  the  fruit 
of  spiritual  growth.  Up  to  the  present  time  but 
few  of  the  proposed  institutions  of  the  Bahai 
faith  have  been  established.  Now  is  the  time  for 
spiritual  seed  sowing,  later  will  come  the  time  of 
spiritual  fruitage  and  harvest.  Now  the  believ- 
ers are  establishing  the  spiritual  institutions  of 
the  teachings,  spreading  the  message,  enkindling 
faith  and  love  in  men's  hearts.  The  future  will 
see  materialized  the  fruit  of  the  labors  of  the 
Bahais  of  today  when,  added  to  the  present  de- 
velopment of  the  movement,  will  be  all  the  insti- 
tutions to  round  out  the  work,  thus  accomplish- 
ing the  complete  design,  as  outlined  by  Baha- 
'o'llah. 

The  Ordinances  of  the  Bahai  faith  are  in  ac- 
cord with  the  natural  laws  governing  human  re- 
lations and  affairs,  and  are  so  ordered  as  to 
bring  forth  the  highest  and  most  perfect  physi- 
cal, moral  and  spiritual  development  of  all  who 
place  themselves  within  the  sphere  of  in- 
fluence. These  laws  are  to  be  followed  by  the 
people  from  choice,  not  by  compulsion.  As  peo- 
ple know  and  understand  the  wisdom  of  the  pre- 
cepts of  Baha'o'llah,  they  will  from  volition,  and 
for  their  own  welfare  and  that  of  those  about 
them,  desire  to  live  according  to  His  advice. 

Perfect  liberty  and  freedom  in  religious 
thought  and  belief  is  to  be  allowed  every  one. 

64 


TH^    BAHAI    MOVEMSJNT  65 

The  Bahais  are  exhorted  to  mingle  freely  with 
people  of  all  creeds,  and  in  no  way  to  shut  them- 
selves off  from  those  of  other  beliefs.  Neither 
should  they  criticise  nor  denounce  the  teachings 
nor  the  followers  of  other  religious  movements. 
Through  fraternal  intercourse,  kindness,  and  lov- 
ing service  to  all  humanity,  the  believers  in  this 
latter-day  revelation  will  eventually  demonstrate 
its  truth  to  all  the  world. 

While  the  Bahais  are  commanded  not  to  inter- 
fere with  the  religion  of  others,  other  people  are 
advised  to  relinquish  those  creeds  and  customs 
which  separate  them  into  many  divisions,  in  or- 
der that  all  may  come  into  the  one  great  spiritual 
unity  of  The  Kingdom.  All  things  find  their 
birth  in  unity.  The  life  of  any  being  or  organi- 
zation of  beings  is  dependent  upon  this  principle. 
Therefore,  how  important  is  unity,  and  of  the 
various  kinds  how  all-important  is  spiritual  and 
religious  unity,  for  it  is  the  foundation  of  all 
unity  and  of  the  progress  of  the  world. 

With  the  development  of  the  spiritual  world- 
unity,  Baha'o'llah  anticipated  various  universal 
institutions  for  the  great  benefit  of  humanity.  He 
exhorted  the  rulers  and  governments  of  the  world 
to  abolish  warfare  and  establish  peace;  to  settle 
international  difficulties  by  arbitration  rather 
than  by  bloodshed.  In.  order  to  facilitate  inter- 
national understanding  and  unite  all  people, 
Baha'o'llah  advocated  a  universal  language, 
which  would  itself  be  instrumental  in  the  pro- 
motion of  mutual  understanding  and  sympathy 
between  peoples. 

From  Baha'o'llah's  writings,  it  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  His  idea  that  the  kings  of  this 
earth  should  cease  to  exist,  but  rather  that  all 
governments  should  be  established  upon  a  system 
of  representation,  without  which  no  government 


QQ  the:  bahai  movEmi:nt 

can  uphold  the  rights  of  the  people.  The  fol- 
lowers of  Baha  should  be  law-abiding  citizens  in 
whatever  country  they  may  4well  and  they 
should  be  loyal  supporters  of  all  just  and 
righteous  governments. 

One  of  the  institutions  of  The  Bab  was  the 
rearrangement  of  the  calendar.  This  change  was 
confimied  by  Baha'o'llah,  and  the  new  calendar 
is  beginning  to  be  used  by  Bahais.  Eventually  it 
will  supersede  the  many  systems  now  current. 
The  Bahai  Era  begins  with  the  year  1844  A.  D. 
or  1260  A.  H.  The  first  day  of  the  Bahai  year 
falls  on  March  21st,  the  day  upon  which  the  sun 
enters  the  sign  of  Aries,  and  is  commonly  known 
as  the  first  day  of  spring.  The  year  is  divided 
into  nineteen  months  of  nineteen  days  each,  mak- 
ing in  all  361  days  to  which  are  added  four 
(every  fourth  year  five)  intercalary  days,  to  com- 
plete the  365  or  366  days  of  the  year. 

The  Bahais  have  nothing  in  their  own  religion 
to  exclude  those  holding  different  views.  They 
have  no  form  of  membership,  no  formulated 
creed  nor  institutions  to  dififerentiate  them 
outwardly  from  other  people.  Their  work  is 
ever  inward  rather  than  outward,  and  for  the 
benefit  of  all  rather  than  a  few.  In  this  religion 
there  is  no  priesthood.  Teaching  is  given  with- 
out money  and  without  price.  All  are  teachers, 
each  in  his  own  sphere  of  life.  Those,  able  and 
fitted  to  do  so,  go  forth  as  speakers,  while  others 
teach  quietly  by  their  deeds,  and  by  speaking 
the  message  when  they  find  a  hearer.  While 
the  cause  asks  only  for  the  hearts  of  its  fol- 
lowers, nevertheless,  when  the  heart  is  in  the 
work  there  comes  the  desire  to  give  and  to  do 
something  material  for  the  movement.  The  giv- 
ing of  tithes  for  carrying  on  the  Bahai  work  is 
a  privilege,  not  an  obligation. 


THi:    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  67 

Baha'o'llah,  like  all  of  the  world's  religious 
teachers,  laid  great  stress  upon  prayer  and  fast- 
ing. Both  are  necessary  for  the  development  of 
the  soul.  Through  prayer  the  soul  is  brought 
into  communion  with  God  and  receives  the 
spiritual  sustenance  necessary  for  its  life  and 
well-being.  Through  fasting  the  soul  becomes 
freed  from  the  materiality  of  the  flesh;  it  then 
apprehends  higher  things,  becomes  conscious  of 
divine  realities,  and  receives  the  spiritual  life 
forces  to  a  higher  degree  than  possible  under  the 
normal  condition  of  the  body. 

Baha'o'llah  clearly  states  that  seeking  refuge 
in  creed  and  dogma,  and  faith  without  works,  are 
not  acceptable.  The  Bahais  have  no  forms  or 
ceremonials,  such  as  have  characterized  the  reli- 
gions of  the  past.  Prayer  is  made  individually 
by  the  suppliant  to  God.  Prayer,  supplemented 
by  a  pure  and  useful  life  in  this  world,  forms  the 
elements  of  true  worship.  Every  one  should 
have  an  occupation,  which  conduces  to  the  wel- 
fare of  humanity,  the  diligent  pursuance  of 
which  is  in  itself  an  act  of  worship. 

The  Bahai  teaching  encourages  marriage, 
while  asceticism  and  celibacy  are  discouraged. 
Monogamy  is  taught,  and  among  the  believers  in 
the  Orient  is  gradually  replacing  the  systems  of 
polygamy  which  have  always  existed  there.  The 
body  should  be  developed,  not  mortified,  because 
it  is  the  medium  through  which  the  spirit  works. 
A  good  and  perfect  body  is  desirable. 

The  executive  affairs  of  the  Bahai  cause  will 
eventually  be  presided  over  by  a  synod,  known  as 
the  ''House  of  Justice".  Its  members  will  be 
selected  by  the  people.  These  members  are  to  be 
qualified  by  spiritual  characteristics  and  wisdom. 
They  will  be  the  trustees  of  the  people.  Their 
mission  will  be  to  serve  the  people  in  the  numer- 


68  THI^    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

ous  avenues  of  Bahai  activity,  in  charitable  and 
philanthropic  works,  and  all  the  practical  insti- 
tutions which  make  for  the  welfare  of  the  people 
and  the  cause.  The  House  of  Justice  will  meet 
at  stated  times  and  in  various  parts  of  the  world, 
for  the  performance  of  its  work.  In  addition  to 
this  general  or  central  House  of  Justice  for  all 
the  world,  there  will  be  assemblages  in  each  com- 
munity for  the  carrying  on  of  local  service. 

Baha'o'llah  strongly  denounced  the  taking  of 
opium  and  kindred  drugs.  The  Bahais  do  not 
use  intoxicating  liquors  as  beverages,  and  among 
them  even  the  use  of  tobacco  is  discouraged. 
Gambling  is  forbidden,  as  having  a  demoralizing 
effect  upon  the  people.  In  fact  all  excesses,  tend- 
ing to  weaken  the  body  and  the  moral  force  of 
man,  should  be  eschewed  by  him. 

Individual  advancement  and  personal  incentive 
are  to  be  fostered  and  encouraged,  but  the  general 
weal  of  the  mass  is  even  more  to  be  considered. 
The  weak  and  unfortunate  ones  are  to  be  pro- 
tected from  the  greedy  ones.  Profit  in  business 
is  to  be  sought,  but  one  person  has  no  right 
to  enrich  himself  at  the  expense  of  another. 
When  the  ordinances  of  Baha'o'llah  are  estab- 
lished there  will  be  fewer  extremes  of  wealth 
and  poverty.  The  people  will  be  better  off  than 
they  are  now.  The  Bahai  cause  is  prepared  to 
meet  and  to  reform  the  many  human  ills  which 
the  humanitarian  thinkers  and  workers  of  the 
day  are  striving  to  eradicate.  This  is  being  ac- 
complished through  the  spiritualizing  method  of 
changing  the  natural  hardness  of  men's  hearts  by 
infusing  into  them  the  Love  of  God. 

In  the  Bahai  cause  woman  holds  a  position 
equal  to  that  of  man.  She  is  not  denied  any 
rights.  Through  the  Bahai  teaching  the  women 
in  the  oriental  countries  are  already  reaping  the 


THi:    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  69 

benefits  of  education  and  are  advancing  in  many 
ways,  which  customs  of  their  former  rehgion 
would  close  to  them.  It  is  hardly  necessary  here 
to  mention  those  laws  touching  upon  hygiene  and 
the  education  of  both  sexes,  and  the  admonitions 
forbidding  mendicity,  slavery,  cruelty  to  animals 
and  other  offences,  because,  though  in  the  Orient 
the  need  for  them  is  yet  very  great,  our  western 
civilization  has  already  accomplished  these  re- 
forms. 

While  religion  and  state  will  never  be  reunited 
upon  the  old  lines  of  creed  and  dogma, 
the  Bahais  look  forward  to  the  time  when 
the  states,  or  governments  of  the  nations,  will 
be  founded  upon  a  spiritual  foundation— when 
the  material  laws  of  men  will  be  founded  and  en- 
forced according  to  the  principles  of  the  divine 
laws  of  God.  Religion  is  necessary  to  man.  Na- 
tions, as  well  as  individuals,  have  at  times  tried  to 
live  without  religion  and  the  results  have  always 
been  disastrous.  The  divine  foundation  is  the 
only  foundation  upon  which  to  build  any 
mstitution  that  shall  endure.  The  ideal  govern- 
ment rests  upon  this  foundation,  which  is  not  a 
union  of  church  and  state,  but  a  union  of  religion 
and  state. 

Eventually,  in  every  Bahai  center  there  will  be 
a  building  (temple)  set  apart  for  The  Lord's 
use.  Grouped  about  this,  as  a  center,  will  be  va- 
rious institutions  for  the  benefit  of  man— hos- 
pitals, homes,  hospices,  colleges,  and  other  phil- 
anthropic enterprises.  All  of  these  buildings  to- 
gether, will  constitute  the  Mashrak-El-Azcar : 
(literally  ''The  dawning  place  of  the  mentions 
of  God"). 

The^  central  building,  or  Temple  proper,  will 
be  a  nine-sided  structure  surmounted  by  a  dome, 
and  surrounded  by  gardens.       The  number  9  is 


70  THI^   BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

symbolic  of  the  Spirit  of  God  Manifest.  The 
Temple  will  be  a  sanctuary  for  the  reading  or 
chanting  of  the  "Holy  Words,"  for  meditation 
and  for  prayer,  a  place  of  universal  worship 
open  to  all,  in  which  people  of  all  races  and  re- 
ligions can  worship  God  individually,  in  spirit 
and  in  truth,  without  the  intermediary  of  church, 
priest  or  ritual. 

The  practical  institutions  of  the  Mashrak-El- 
Azcar  will  afford  the  opportunity  for  the  estab- 
lishment in  the  world  of  all  branches  of  those  pro- 
gressive works  for  which  the  Bahai  cause  stands. 
In  this  day,  religion  is  to  be  the  direct  source  of 
inspiration  in  all  secular  affairs.  The  Bahai  faith 
stands  as  the  promoter  of  advancement  in  every 
line  of  human  activity  and  development,  and 
therefore  every  phase  of  these  innumerable  ac- 
tivities will  draw  its  life  from,  and  be  an  integral 
part  of,  the  Mashrak-El-Azcar.  In  the  Bahai 
teaching  one  finds  exhortations  to  prayer  and 
worship,  upon  the  one  hand,  and  exhortations  to 
work  and  service  to  humanity  upon  the  other. 
"Faith  without  deeds  is  not  acceptable,"  there- 
fore the  Bahai  religious  work  includes  all  work 
and  service  needful  to  man.  This  faith  stands 
for  all  material  and  social  progress.  This  idea  is 
developed  in  the  Mashrak-El-Azcar. 

The  Mashrak-El-Azcar  is  the  symbolic  expres- 
sion of  the  prophet  or  the  manifestation  of  God. 
The  central  building  or  place  of  worship  may 
be  compared  to  the  heart  or  the  innermost  point 
of  illumination,  while  the  surrounding  institu- 
tions may  be  compared  to  the  fruit  of  (or  serv- 
ice and  good  works  performed  by)  the  manifes- 
tation. Within  the  house  of  worship  the  people 
will  find  their  inspiration,  while  through  the 
surrounding  institutions  they  will  manifest  this 
inspiration  to  the  world,  by  loving  service  to  hu- 
manity. 


THi:    BAHAI    M0VE:MKNT  71 

Not  long  since,  in  the  city  of  Eshkabad,  in  Rus- 
sian Turkestan,  such  a  Mashrak-El-Azcar  was 
built.  This  work  represents  the  combined  efforts 
of  the  Bahais  throughout  the  Orient.  Its  archi- 
tectural beauty  and  size  testify  to  the  loving  of- 
ferings of  those  believers,  while  the  idea  for 
which  it  stands  is  far  above  the  conception  of  the 
surrounding  people. 

In  this  service,  of  the  Mashrak-El-Azcar,  as 
well  as  many  others  the  Bahais  are  laying  a 
foundation,  of  whose  existence  the  world  in  gen- 
eral is  now  not  aware,  for  the  alleviation  of  many 
human  evils.  The  people  of  the  future  will 
understand  the  far-sightedness  of  these  people  of 
to-day  in  their  effort  to  bring  all  secular  affairs 
under  spiritual  guidance. 

The  Bahais  of  the  west  are  following  in  the 
steps  of  their  oriental  brethren.  In  the  city  of 
Chicago  a  movement  has  been  started  for  the 
erection  there  of  the  first  Mashrak-El-Azcar  in 
the  Occident.  Already  an  extensive  building  site 
has  been  purchased,  overlooking  Lake  Michigan, 
and  it  is  hoped  that  soon  the  building  will  be  be- 
gun. Offerings  for  this  work  have  been  sent 
from  the  Bahais  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  Mashrak-El-Azcar  represents  the  sum 
total  of  all  the  Bahai  activities.  Abdul-Baha  has 
repeatedly  written  to  the  believers  in  America, 
that  of  all  works  the  building  of  the  Mashrak- 
El-Azcar  is  the  most  important.  It  is  the  foun- 
dation for  the  new  order  of  the  spiritual  King- 
dom upon  earth,  therefore  its  importance  cannot 
be  overestimated.  When  it  stands  accomplished, 
it  will  be  as  a  haven  of  rest  to  those  who  seek 
communion  with  God  within  its  sacred  pre- 
cincts ;  while  outwardly,  it  will  be  as  a  banner 
manifesting  to  the  world  the  service  and  the  pur- 
pose of  the  Bahai  cause. 


IX. 

THE  NEED  OF  THE  TIMES 

Living,  spiritual  religion  is  the  cause  of  social 
reform.  It  precedes  and  is  the  leader  of  human 
progress,  and  is  the  basis  of  civilization.  Life- 
less religion,  of  theology  and  form,  precedes  and 
is  the  cause  of  social  and  moral  degradation.  It 
retards  human  progress,  and  is  the  destroyer  of 
civilization.  Live  religion  produces  peace  and 
harmony.  Dead  religion  makes  warfare  and 
discord. 

Each  of  the  world's  spiritual  teachers  was  in 
advance  of  the  people  of  his  time.  Each  was  in- 
dependent of  the  thought  and  institutions  of  his 
day,  and  was  a  creator  of  thought,  morals  and  so- 
cial advancement.  This  progressive  spirit  char- 
acterized each  of  the  great  religious  movements 
during  its  earHer  days. 

Later,  religion  ceased  to  be  an  independent 
institution  (a  leader  of  the  people),  and  it 
became  a  dependent  institution,  dependent  upon 
and  catering  to  the  thought  of  the  people  of  the 
day.  Its  mission  as  a  leader  and  a  creator  of 
thought  and  morals  was  at  an  end,  and  instead  of 
elevating  the  people,  it  retarded  their  progress 
and  became  the  cause  of  stagnation  and  disinte- 
gration. Advancing  civilization  has  had  no  more 
subtle  or  persistent  enemy  to  contend  with  than 
lifeless  religious  systems. 

Foremost  among  the  world  problems  of  the 
day  is  the  abolition  of  war  and  the  establishment 
of  Peace.  National,  racial  and  religious  hatred 
have  been  the  principal  causes  of  warfare.  The 
present  different  religious  teachings  or  philoso- 
phies, not  only  are  not  working  for  Peace  upon 
earth,  but  through  their  influence  upon  men  are 

72 


the:    BAHAI    MOV^MIiNT  73 

actually  holding  people  at  variance,  dividing  hu- 
manity, and  in  many  cases  have  been  the  direct 
cause  of  war.  Since  the  Bahai  teaching  is  strik- 
ing a  fatal  blow  at  these  prejudices,  it  is  not  only 
eliminating  the  cause  of  strife,  but,  in  place  of 
this  enmity,  it  is  planting  a  virile  and  growing 
unity  between  all  peoples. 

The  Bahai  principle  of  unity  is  not  merely 
negative,  a  suspension  of  inharmony,  it  is  a  posi- 
tive force  for  unity,  which,  as  it  grows,  trans- 
mutes destructive  forces  into  constructive  forces. 
It  stands  for,  and  is  a  promoter  of,  all  of  the 
universal  progressive  movements  uniting  nations, 
which  the  world  now  needs.  Through  it,  the 
differences  between  eastern  and  western  thought, 
manners  and  customs,  and  the  lack  of  confidence 
between  all  people,  are  being  changed  and  re- 
placed by  oneness  of  thought  and  action  and  by 
confidence  and  fraternity. 

The  Bahai  Cause  stands  for: 

The  Unity  of  all  Religions. 

The  Political  Unity  of  nations. 

The  Social  Unity  of  all  classes,  peoples  and 
races. 

The  Unity  of  L.angtiages  in  one  universal  lan- 
guage. 

Universal  Suffrage. 
^  The   Advancement    of    all   Material    Institu- 
tions, conducive  to  the  general  welfare  of  man; 
his  enlightenment  and  progress. 

World  Peace. 

All  of  which  is  to  be  established  upon  the 
foundation  of  spiritual  unity  between  peoples. 

In  this  day,  the  peoples  of  the  world  are  being 
drawn  together  by  all  of  the  material  forces  of 
civilization.  Commerce  and  political  relations 
have  brought  people  of  all  nations,  races  and 
religions  together,  upon  the  plane  of  their  outer 


74  TH^    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

activities,  but  as  yet  they  form  a  hetero- 
genous mixture,  having  no  inner  or  spiritual 
ground  upon  which  to  build  a  fundamental  unity. 
Such  a  spiritual  meeting  ground  of  unity  is  now 
the  most  needed  thing  in  the  world.  The  time 
is  at  hand  for  the  people  of  the  world  to  unite 
in  all  matters,  most  of  all  in  religion,  since  it  is 
the  most  potent  factor  in  shaping  character. 
The  good  character  of  nations  has  been  made  by 
religion  and  it  has  been  destroyed  through  the 
lack  of  it. 

The  theologies  of  the  past  have  nothing  to 
ofifer  the  world  today  as  the  solution  of  this 
mighty  problem.  Each  of  them  was  evolved 
under  conditions  of  the  past,  and  has  no  relation 
to,  power  or  influence  upon,  the  present  univer- 
sal world-needs. 

The  day  of  dependent  religion  is  at  an 
end,  and  this  world  is  now  ripe  for  the 
leadership  of  a  virile  religious  movement:  a 
religion  ahead  of  the  times,  one  whose  teaching 
is  independent  of,  and  not  limited  by  the  current 
thought  of  man ;  that  will  lead  the  world  onward, 
infusing  into  it  the  spiritual  force  to  reform  its 
institutions,  and  unite  all  races  and  nations,  ori- 
ental and  occidental,  in  faith  in  God  and  confi- 
dence in  one  another,  thus  making  a  firm  spirit- 
ual foundation  for  the  coming  great  world-civili- 
zation. 

"The  Bahai  teaching  is  not  an  eclectic  philos- 
ophy, neither  is  it  a  sect.  It  is  a  living  spiritual 
religion.  Because  of  its  soul  inspiring  qualities, 
it  appeals  alike  to  the  unschooled  and 
the  learned,  to  the  masses  and  the  few. 
The  Bab,  Baha'o'llah  and  Abdul-Baha  stand  out 
as  divine  teachers  and  leaders,  independent  of  the 
world's  attitude  and  thought.  They  are  not 
building  a   theological   system   from   intellectual 


the:  bahai  move^ment  75 

material.  Like  all  world  movers  they  were  far 
ahead  of  their  times.  Peace,  arbitration  and  an 
mternational  language,  in  fact  a  universal  civili- 
zation, were  unthought  of  by  the  world,  when 
these  teachers,  over  a  half  century  ago,  announced 
their  spiritual  message,  in  which  is  incorporated 
the  solution  of  all  the  teeming  questions  which 
now  occupy  the  minds  of  some  of  the  greatest 
thinkers  and  philanthropists  of  the  age.  Upon 
every  hand  people  are  clamoring  to  understand 
more  clearly  the  principles  of  peace  to  which 
the  Bahai  leaders  and  their  followers  have  borne 
witness  by  trials  and  suffering  and  death. 

The  Bahai  cause  is  ministering  to  the  great 
spiritual  need  of  the  day,  by  planting  in  the  soul 
of  the  world  a  living  religion  of  brotherhood. 
Because  of  this  universal  need,  this  cause  is  des- 
tined to  grow  until  it  envelops  the  whole  world, 
uniting  all  men  and  leading  them  onward  toward 
the  age  of  spiritual  enlightenment,  prosperity, 
and  peace. 


X. 

ORIENTAL-OCCIDENTAL   UNITY. 

The  Orient  can  truly  be  said  to  be  the  mother 
of  the  human  race.  From  her  heart  went  forth 
those  great  racial  wave  movements  which  have 
peopled  the  earth.  In  her  mountain  fastnesses 
the  prophets  communed  with  God  and  received 
His  life-giving  truth  (which  has  been  the  inspira- 
tion of  all  mankind),  and  in  her  valleys  and  upon 
her  plains  civilization  had  its  dawn. 

The  Occident  can  with  equal  truth  be  said  to  be 
the  son,  or  man-child  of  the  mother  Orient.  Both 
materially  and  spiritually  the  Occident  has  re- 
ceived its  physical  life  and  its  religious  inspira- 
tion from  the  Orient,  the  fruit  of  which  is  the 
present  occidental  civilization. 

During  many  centuries  the  peoples  of  the  East 
and  those  of  the  West  have  been  separated  by 
barriers,  racial,  religious,  geographic  and  politi- 
cal. So  complete  has  been  this  segregation,  that 
these  two  halves  of  humanity  have  developed 
along  different  lines  of  thought,  manners  and 
customs,  until  the  very  natures  and  characteris- 
tics of  these  peoples  have  become,  in  general, 
distinct  and  foreign  to  each  other. 

Now,  in  these  latter  days,  through  the  breaking 
down  of  the  former  material  barriers,  the 
oriental  and  occidental  peoples  are  being 
forced  one  upon  the  other.  Through  interna- 
tional relations,  the  increase  of  foreign  commerce, 
and  the  travel  and  mingling  of  people,  the 
Orientals  and  Occidentals  are  daily  coming  into 
closer  relations  upon  the  material  plane  of  life. 
As  yet,  however,  this  is  but  a  superficial  ming- 
ling, void  of  any  basic  unity. 

Without  any  trust,  confidence  or  affinity  for 
one  another,  the  Oriental  and  Occidental  are  at 

76 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  77 

variance  in  almost  every  way.  That  which  will 
destroy  this  variance  is  the  spiritual  confidence, 
trust,  and  mutual  affinity,  which  the  Bahai  faith 
IS  creating  between  the  East  and  the  West. 
Through  the  establishment  of  such  practical 
institutions  of  service  as  will  demonstrate  this 
spiritual  unity,  the  greatest  material  and  spiritual 
benefit  to  all  humanity  will  result,  for,  springing 
from  this  spiritual  foundation  will  be  all  of  those 
religious,  political,  and  social  activities,  for  which 
the  Bahai  cause  stands,  and  which  will  eventu- 
ally unite  in  one  civilization  all  the  peoples  of 
the  world. 

The  Bahai  cause  stands  for  spiritual  unity 
manifested  in  every  phase  and  activity  of  life. 
The  Bab,  Baha'o'llah  and  Abul-Baha  stand  pre- 
eminent ^  as  lovers  and  servants  of  humanity. 
Their  mission  was  that  of  spiritual  uniting  and 
life  giving,  therefore  their  teachings  influence 
ever}-  phase  and  detail  of  life.  With  the  fruition 
of  this  cause,  the  great  Orient-Occident  problem 
will  be  solved.  Through  this  Bahai  spiritual 
unity  encompassing  all  peoples,  oriental  and  occi- 
dental characteristics  will  so  blend  that  a  new 
world  type  of  man  will  be  evolved:  one  which 
will  embody,  not  only  the  present  existing  vir- 
tues of  the  East  and  the  West,  but  most  of  all, 
the_  highest  spiritual  possibilities  of  humanity' 
which  can  come  to  light  only  as  people  unite  and 
live  according  to  divine  law  applied  to  every 
phase  of  life. 

The  stages  of  development  through  which  col- 
lective man  passes  are  parallel  and  analogous  to 
those  through  which  he  passes  as  an  individual. 
Until_  the  state  of  physical  maturity  is  reached, 
individual  men  and  women  are  content  to  live 
apart  from  one  another.  Each  is  developing  his 
or  her  own  mental  and  physical  characteristics, 


78  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

and,  normally,  two  different  and  distinct  types, 
masculine  and  feminine,  are  the  result. 

When  maturity  is  reached,  the  reason  for  the 
difference  in  the  characteristics  of  man  and 
woman  becomes  apparent.  Affinity  and  union 
take  place  between  these  differing  natures  and 
a  great  change  is  produced  in  each.  One  sup- 
plies what  the  other  lacks,  and  two  rounded  out 
and  more  perfect  lives  is  the  result,  and  further, 
through  this  love  union  of  man  and  woman,  the 
way  is  made  for  the  birth  of  other  human  beings. 
When  two  parents  are  united  by  the  bonds  of  a 
complete  love,  their  children  come  into  this  world 
under  the  highest  possible  auspices  for  both 
bodily  and  soul  development,  and  in  their  natures 
are  found  magnified  the  combined  virtues  of 
both  parents. 

In  this  day,  the  human  race  is  reaching  the 
stage  of  maturity,  the  Orient  along  her  own  char- 
acteristic lines,  and  the  Occident  along  his  own 
characteristic  lines.  Now  their  future  develop- 
ment depends  upon  their  union,  both  spiritual 
and  physical.  These  two  halves  of  humanity, 
eastern  and  western,  must  unite  and  become  as 
one  in  every  respect,  spiritual  and  material,  in 
order  that  each  may  reach  its  highest  develop- 
ment. From  this  union  will  come  the  future 
universal  world-type  of  man,  who  will  combine 
in  himself  all  the  human  virtues  and  the  highest 
spiritual  possibilities. 

Such  an  union  between  the  East  and  West  can 
never  be  accomplished  upon  any  foundation  other 
than  a  spiritual  one.  When  the  Occident  and  the 
Orient  meet  on  a  common  spiritual  ground,  then 
an  intellectual  and  social  unity  in  all  of  its  forms 
with  all  of  its  institutions,  will  result. 

By  brute  force  a  man  can  dominate  a  woman 
while  the  souls  of  both  are  suffering,  although 


TIIK    BAHAI    MOVE:ME:nT  79 

neither  may  be  aware  of  this  condition.  In  the 
perfect  marriage,  neither  the  man  nor  the  woman 
dommates  the  other.  Through  love,  they  become 
as  one  soul  in  two  bodies.  So  must  it  be  between 
the  Occident  and  the  Orient.  Many  oriental 
countries  have  been  held  by  occidental  nations 
through  force.  This  has  not  been  conducive  in 
any  way  to  the  solution  of  this  world  problem. 
Under  a  regime  of  force,  both  peoples,  the  domi- 
nant and  the  dominated,  suffer  from  lack 
of  unity.  Each  remains  within  itself,  its  life 
forces  and  possibilities  undeveloped,  pent  up, 
and  suffering  for  lack  of  the  expression  which 
only  the  freedom  of  harmony  can  give. 

In  the  coming  epoch  of  religious,  racial  and 
national  unity,  for  which  the  Bahai  cause  is  pav- 
ing the  way,  there  will  be  no  question  of 
"supremacy"  over  one  another.  All  peoples  will 
be  members  of  one  harmonious  world-family, 
each  working  to  protect  and  help  the  other! 
Under  this  order,  which  is  the  order  of  God's 
Kingdom,  the  highest  civic  and  national  institu- 
tions will  be  evolved,  and  the  masses  of  the  peo- 
ple will  attain  to  a  high  state  of  spiritual, 
moral  and  physical  development.  Thus,  hu- 
manity will  attain  to  a  state  of  civilization  and 
advancement,  of  the  greatness  of  which  no  one 
can  now  form  any  conception. 


XL 

ETERNAL  LIFE 

Eternal  life  is  the  condition  of  the  spiritually 
alive  or  divinely  quickened  soul. 

To  be  merely  alive  to  physical,  animal  and 
human  things  is  not  life  according  to  religious 
terminology.  To  be  alive  in  the  spiritual  sense  is 
to  be  conscious  of  the  Spirit  of  God  manifest,  to 
believe  in  Him,  and  to  do  according  to  His  will. 
The  soul  is  an  indestructible  entity  which  exists 
after  its  separation  or  freedom  from  the  material 
body.  Yet  mere  natural  existence,  either  here 
or  in  the  life  beyond,  is  not  life  from  the  spiritual 
or  divine  view-point. 

Through  ''The  Manifestation,"  the  soul  of  nat- 
ural man  is  quickened  with  divine  or  eternal  life, 
which  is  as  a  new  and  a  higher  dimension  added 
to  his  human  nature.  By  virtue  of  this  divine 
quickening,  the  spiritually-born  soul  comes  di- 
rectly under  divine  guidance.  Though  in  the 
world,  yet  it  lives  in  a  higher  realm  than  before 
— the  divine  realm — from  which  it  receives  life, 
and  a  force  that  characterizes  it  with  higher 
qualities.  Thus,  through  the  baptism  of  the 
spirit  or  the  Word  of  God  revealed,  the  soul 
passes  from  the  condition  of  natural  darkness 
into  one  of  divine  light,  from  the  condition  of 
spiritual  ignorance  or  death,  into  that  of  spiritual 
awakeness  or  eternal  life. 

Eternal  life  is  not  a  condition  to  which  the  soul 
attains  through  its  own  virtue  or  through  evolu- 
tion from  the  natural  plane.  It  is  a  gift  and  a 
bounty  from  God  bestowed  upon  natural  man 
through  Revelation.  It  is  given  through  God's 
mercy  and  favor,  not  through  His  justice.  There 
is  evolution  upon  the  natural  plane,  confined  to 
that     plane,     and     also     evolution     upon     the 

80 


the:  bahai  movement  81 

spiritual  plane,  confined  to  that  plane,  but 
there  is  no  evolution  from  one  plane  to  the 
other.  In  the  Divine  Kingdom,  before  as  well  as 
after  death,  there  is  progression  tov^ards  perfec- 
don  of  the  type  of  perfect  spiritual  manhood. 
There  is  nothing  to  v^hich  the  soul  may  evolve 
beyond  perfect  spiritual  manhood,  for  spiritual 
man  is  the  highest  being  of  God^s  creation,  above 
which  there  is  no  creation.  Male  and 
female  are  conditions  of  the  physical  realm 
and  not  of  the  spiritual  kingdom.  By  virtue  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  manifesting  through  the  re- 
vealer,  the  souls  of  His  followers  are  lifted  from 
the  lower  to  the  higher  plane,  from  natural  man- 
hood to  spiritual  manhood,  they  become  charac- 
terized with  divine  qualities,  and  they  show  forth 
in  their  lives  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit. 

As  metal  is  heated  in  the  fire  and  so  partakes 
of  the  characteristics  of  the  fire  until  it  is  like 
the  fire,  so  the  soul,  through  the  revealed  word, 
becomes  characterized  by  divine  characteristics. 
As  with  the  metal,  the  source  of  the  heat  being 
outside  of  it,  the  moment  it  is  removed  from  the 
fire  it  loses  the  characteristics  of  the  fire,  so  it  is 
with  the  human  soul,  for  when  it  separates  itself 
from  God's  Word,  divine  characteristics  cease 
to  emanate  from  it.  The  source  of  divine  life 
is  not  in  man  but  in  The  Word  revealed,  and 
of  man's  divine  enlightenment,  in  his  dependence 
upon  The  Word. 

Good  actions  and  good  deeds  characterize  the 
quickened  soul,  but  good  actions  and  good  deeds 
are  not  in  themselves  a  proof  that  a  soul  is  di- 
vinely quickened.  Many  souls  without  faith  or 
spiritual  assurance  lead  exemplary  lives  from 
the  ethical  standard,  while,  upon  the  other  hand, 
many  souls  sunken  in  crime  and  depravity  be- 
come touched  by  the  spirit  and  are  born  into  The 


82  THie    BAHAI    MOVEiMENT 

Kingdom,  and  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  the  di- 
vine life. 

Life  in  its  highest  and  fullest  sense,  exists  in 
that  soul  in  which  all  of  the  life  forces,  both  di- 
vine and  material,  reach  their  highest  develop- 
ment. Neither  a  physically  perfect  man  nor  a 
highly  educated  man  is  upon  the  highest  plane 
until  he  is  quickened,  and  alive  to  the  divine 
realities.  The  perfect  type  of  manhood  has  an 
all-round  physical,  psychical,  intellectual  and 
divinely  spiritual  development.  As  souls  are  ded- 
icated to  God's  service  and  become  cleansed  and 
pure  from  earthly  conditions,  then  the  deep- 
est mysteries  of  The  Kingdom  become  clear  to 
them.  All  doubts  and  fears  are  dispelled  by 
faith  and  assurance,  while  all  inharmonious  con- 
ditions are  replaced  by  harmonious  ones  through 
the  love  of  God  burning  in  the  soul.  This  is 
Eternal  Life. 


XII. 

HEAVEN  AND  HELL. 

Heaven  and  hell,  salvation  and  sin,  light  and 
darkness,  are  terms  employed  to  differentiate  the 
two  spiritual  conditions  of  the  soul  of  man. 

The  spiritually  quickened  sorl,  alive  with  the 
hfe  of  the  Spirit,  is  that  condition  called  heaven, 
while  the  unawakened  soul,  not  yet  conscious  of 
the  bounty  of  God,  nor  alive  in  His  Spirit,  is  that 
state  of  spiritual  lethargy  or  darkness  called  hell. 
These  two  conditions  apply  to  the  life  of  the  soul 
in  this  world,  as  to  the  soul  in  the  great  beyond. 
As  there  are  conditions  of  both  spiritual  awake- 
ness  and  spiritual  slumber  her«  in  this  life,  so 
there  are  these  same  conditions  in  the  realm  of 
the  immaterial  into  which  the  soul  passes  upon 
leaving  this  body. 

God's  mercy  is  never  wearied.  As  for  those 
souls  who  go  out  into  the  great  beyond  with- 
out being  spiritually  awakened  here,  for  their 
quickening  He  has  ways  and  means  unknown 
to  us.  Reward  and  punishment  are  of  two 
kinds,  natural  and  spiritual.  In  the  world  of 
nature  every  good  act,  in  accord  with  her  laws, 
produces  a  good  effect,  and  every  violation  of 
nature's  principles  has  a  harmful,  or  detrimental 
effect  upon  the  individual.  The  reward  and  pun- 
ishment, the  good  or  the  bad  effect  following  the 
good  or  bad  action  of  man,  is  inevitable;  it  is 
according  to  fixed  law.  Likewise,  according  to 
the  divine  law  he  advances  spiritually,  and  when 
he  violates  that  law  he  suffers  spiritually.  Spir- 
itual conditions,  however,  are  more  far  reaching 
than  material  conditions,  for  they  are  not  limited 
to  this  earthly  plane;  they  are  eternal. 

The  greatest  blessing  which  can  descend  upon 

83 


84  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMKNT 

man  is  the  knowledge  of  God.  The  greatest  ca- 
lamity is  to  be  deprived  of  this  knowledge. 
Through  God's  mercy  He  has  given  man  the 
blessing  of  knowing  Him.  He  has  also  given  man 
free  will  to  accept  or  reject  this  blessing  as  he 
wills,  therefore  divine  knowledge  or  ignorance 
comes  to  man,  as  reward  or  punishment  for  his 
choice. 

A  soul  in  this  world  may  reject  the  light  and 
be  spiritually  deprived,  and  at  the  same  time  be 
totally  ignorant  of  its  state  of  deprivation.  From 
the  spiritual  view-point  a  soul  may  be  in  darkness 
and  in  spiritual  torment,  but  because  of  the  lack 
of  spiritual  perception  this  soul  may  not  realize 
its  own  condition. 

As  darkness  is  but  the  absence  of  light,  so  ig- 
norance is  but  the  absence  of  knowledge,  and 
spiritual  death  but  the  absence  of  spiritual  life. 
Evil  has  no  life  nor  positive  existence.  It  is  neg- 
ative, it  is  the  absence  of  positive  light.  Thus 
darkness,  ignorance  and  death  are  negative  and 
have  no  power  within  themselves,  while  light, 
knowledge  and  life  are  positive  powers,  con- 
taining those  elements  which  dispel  their  op- 
posites. 

As  there  are  many  degrees  of  spiritual  enlight- 
enment for  the  soul  while  it  inhabits  the  physi- 
cal body,  so  are  there  many  degrees  for  it  in  the 
realms  beyond  this  world.  In  this  world  man 
is  endowed  with  the  freedom  of  choice.  When 
Divine  Grace  is  offered  him,  he  can  accept  or 
reject  it  as  he  chooses.  Thus,  his  responsibility  is 
great.  Choice  between  light  and  darkness — divine 
illumination  and  ignorance  exists,  however,  here 
in  this  world  only.  In  the  realms  beyond,  these 
earthly  conditions  do  not  exist.  There  the  soul 
can  exercise  no  free  choice,  as  only  the  good 
exists.     There,   spiritual  progress  and  develop- 


THD    BAHAI    MOVEME:nT  85 

ment  are  also  possible,  but  do  not  depend 
upon  the  zuill  of  the  individual,  but  wholly  upon 
the  mercy  and  bounty  of  God.  It  is  only  in  this 
life  that  man  can  voluntarily  choose  to  accept  the 
life  of  the  Spirit  and  through  this  choice  attain 
to  divine  blesings. 

The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is,  both  here  and 
hereafter,  for  those  souls  who  are  alive  in  The 
Lord.  Through  revelation  the  divine  promise 
has  been  extended  to  man  at  various  times 
through  the  ages,  that  in  the  fullness  of  time  the 
quickening  spirit  of  The  Lord,  through  the 
Latter-Day  Messiah,  would  be  so  poured  out 
upon  all  men  of  all  races,  that  the  vast  majority 
of  mankind  would  be  illumined  and  quick- 
ened and  be  in  the  state  called  heaven.  The 
past  conditions  of  spiritual  ignorance  and  dark- 
ness would  pass,  and  the  day  of  divine  wisdom, 
or  great  age  would  come.  The  *'end  of  the 
world,"  "the  destruction  of  the  world,"  and  sim- 
ilar terms  used  in  holy  writ,  are  symbolic  of  the 
end  of  the  ages  of  spiritual  darkness  and  sin,  and 
the  ushering  into  existence  of  the  new  epoch  of 
general  spiritual  illumination.  The  coming  age  of 
peace,  prosperity,  and  divine  enlightenment  will 
be  The  Kingdom  of  God  upon  earth. 

The  Kingdom  hereafter,  is  that  state  of  life  in 
which  the  spiritually  illumined  souls  find  them- 
selves after  passing  from  the  physical  body. 
Man's  objective  senses,  being  of  the  plane  of  this 
natural  realm,  convey  to  the  mind  only  concep- 
tions of  conditions  peculiar  to  this  material  world, 
therefore,  of  that  immaterial  condition  of  the  soul 
in  the  existence  beyond  this  world,  man  can 
form  no  mental  conception  whatever.  As  the 
soul  attains  to  a  grreater  and  fuller  divine  life,  it 
becomes  conscious  and  is  assured  of  the  perpetu- 
ity and  eternalness  of  the  state  of  awakening, 


86  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

and  has  no  doubt  as  to  the  reaHty  of  the  life 
eternal,  yet  can  not  form  a  mental  conception 
of  that  condition  because  it  is  beyond  the  scope 
of  man's  imagination. 

Before  the  physical  birth  of  the  child  into  this 
world,  it  is  developing  its  physical  organs,  the 
utility  of  which  do  not  become  apparent  until 
birth.  During  its  pre-natal  life,  through  the 
mother,  the  child  is  nourished  by  life  forces  from 
the  world  into  which  it  is  to  be  born. 

So  it  is  with  the  spiritual  life  of  the  soul.  While 
in  this  body,  the  soul  is  developing  spiritual  vir- 
tues and  faculties,  the  need  for,  and  virtue  of 
which  do  not  now  appear,  but  which  will  be- 
come apparent  when  it  enters  into  the  life  be- 
yond. Again  like  the  child,  the  soul,  while  in 
this  body,  is  spiritually  nourished  with  force 
from  that  realm  or  condition  into  which  it  will 
be  born  or  enter,  upon  leaving  its  prior  condition. 

The  Bahai  believes  that,  while  so-called  death 
in  a  sense  separates  souls  for  a  time,  there  is  a 
spiritual  link  binding  all  together.  The  souls  in 
the  realm  beyond,  retain  remembrance  of  things 
here,  as  well  as  of  those  near  to  them.  Through 
intercession  there,  souls  here  are  helped.  All 
quickened  souls  are  spiritually  united.  This  tie  is 
eternal.  It  is  not  dependent  upon  physical 
means.  All  souls,  born  of  the  spirit,  are  different 
members  of  one  great  spiritual  body,  and  whether 
those  members  are  on  this  earth  or  in  the  realm 
beyond,  there  is  a  connection  between  them 
w^hich  death  does  not  sever.  Natural  ties  are 
severed  when  the  soul  leaves  the  body,  but  spirit- 
ual ties  are  eternal.  Through  the  sincere  prayers 
of  others  a  soul  is  helped  while  here  in  this 
world,  and  likewise,  through  the  intercession  of 
others,  a  soul  having  passed  from  this  life  is 
helped  on  his  spiritual  way  in  the  realm  beyond ; 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  87 

for  progress  is  not  confined  to  this  earthly  exis- 
tence. The  souls,  too,  who  have  passed  on,  are 
able  through  their  intercessions  to  help  those 
here  on  earth.  All  of  this  is  possible  because  the 
pervading  spirit  of  God  is  uniting  the  souls  of 
The  Kingdom  at  all  times  and  under  all  con- 
ditions. 


XIII. 

SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION. 

Natural  or  material  science  is  classified  knowl- 
edge   of    the    human,     animal,    vegetable    and 
mineral  kingdoms ;  religion,  or  spiritual  science,  is 
classified  knowledge  of  the  life  of  the  spiritual, 
or  divine  kingdom,  and  the  laws  which  govern 
it.     There  is  no  inharmony  nor  conflict  between 
these  two   realms,   for  there   is   perfect  accord 
throughout  the  whole  of  God's  creation.     Nat- 
ural science  teaches  men  how  to  live  properly 
upon  this  human  plane.     Through  observing  its 
laws  and  living  in  accord  with  them,  man  attains 
to  a  high  state  of  material,  physical,  psychic,  and 
intellectual  development.   On  the  other  hand,  the 
prophets   have   revealed   to   humanity   the   laws 
which  govern  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  souls.  As 
people  live  in  accord  with  these  divine  laws,  their 
souls  develop  spiritually  and  they  attain  to  a  high 
state  of  general  development,  for  with  the  spir- 
itual development,   follows  an  evolution  in  the 
natural  or  material  development  of  man.    When 
men  understand  the  realities  of  both  the  natural 
and  divine  realms,  they  will  find  no  conflict  be- 
tween religion  and  science. 

The  reason  that  science  and  religion  have  con- 
tended in  the  past,  with  each  other,  is  because  re- 
ligious teachings  have  contained  so  many  imag- 
inations and  superstitions  as  to  make  them  in- 
possible  of  acceptance  to  men  of  science.  To  be 
sure,  these  superstitions  did  not  exist  in  the 
purity  of  the  teachings  as  given  by  the  prophets 
themselves.  Superstitions  are  the  impediments 
which  religion  has  gathered  as  it  has  been 
handed  down  through  the  ages.  Science  finds 
only  this  dross  a  contradiction  of  her  knowledge, 
but  the  spiritual  teachings,  though  they  deal  with 

88 


the:  bahai  moveme:nt  89 

a  higher  realm,  are  in  perfect  accord  with  nat- 
ural science. 

The  Bahai  teaching  is  logical  and  reasonable. 
It  is  free  from  superstition  and  is  compatible 
with  modern  science.  There  is  in  it  spiritual 
force,  which  is  its  very  life  and  essence.  This 
transcends  mere  intellect,  logic  and  reason,  al- 
though it  is  in  perfect  accord  and  harmony 
with  them. 

One  great  work  which  the  Bahai  cause  is  ac- 
complishing is  the  harmonizing  of  science  and  re- 
ligion.    It  shows  scientific  people  that  true  reli- 
gion not  only  is  not  opposed  to  science,  but  that 
it    is    itself     scientific,     and    that    man    needs 
more    than    mere    intellectual    food— he   needs 
spiritual     knowledge.      Not     until     man     adds 
the  spiritual  to  the  intellectual  has  he  that  perfect 
balance,  by    virtue     of     which     he     attains     to 
highest    development.      The    Bahai    teaching    is 
bringing  a  stronger,  firmer  and  more  vital  faith 
into  the  religious  world.     Through  the  spirit  of 
this  movement,  people  of  the  old  established  re- 
ligions  realize  that   they   have  nothing  to   fear 
from   the   world   of  modem    scientific   thought. 
Under  this  influence,   the  old  superstitions  are 
dropping  away,  but  the  pure,  untarnished  truth 
is  standing  supreme. 

The  realization  that  there  is  no  conflict  be- 
tween the  material  and  divine  realms,  that  mate- 
rial truth  and  divine  truth  are  in  perfect  accord, 
frees  man  from  superstition  and  fear,  and  gives 
him  faith  and  assurance,  opening  before  him  the 
door  to  the  highest  possibilities  and  development. 


XIV. 

THE  SUPERNATURAL 

Miracles  form  no  part  of  the  Bahai  teaching. 

The  prophets  were  endowed  with  powers, 
both  natural  and  spiritual,  through  which  they 
accomplished  that  which  was  impossible  to  or- 
dinary man.  The  unusual  things  which  they  did 
were  for  the  instruction  and  education  and  spir- 
itual quickening  of  those  about  them.  The  mir- 
acles ascribed  to  them  have  been  a  great  test  of 
faith  for  the  people  of  after  generations,  for  to 
many,  miracles  are  not  a  proof  of  divinity. 

A  material  phenomenon  seemingly  outside  the 
domain  of  natural  law,  would  not  prove  to  think- 
ing people  that  the  doer  was  divine.  In  these  days 
of  physical  and  psychological  experiment  and  re- 
search no  one  would  ascribe  divine  powers  to  the 
physicist  or  the  psychologist  who  astonished  the 
world    with    discoveries    and    demonstrations. 

Many  wonderful  things  are  recorded  by  the 
Bahais,  illustrative  of  the  spiritual  powers  of  the 
founders  of  their  religion,  but  these  form  no  part 
of  the  teaching  nor  are  they  ever  mentioned  as 
proofs,  for,  if  so,  they  would  prove  a  stum- 
bling block  rather  than  an  attraction  to  truth 
seekers. 

The  great  and  wonderful  miracle,  performed 
by  the  prophets  and  manifestations  of  the  past 
and  the  present,  is  their  power  to  implant  in  the 
souls  of  men  the  love  of  God,  to  quicken  human- 
ity with  divine  life  and,  with  all  of  the  earthly 
forces  against  them,  to  accomplish  their  divine 
work.    This  is  a  real,  a  spiritual  miracle. 


90 


XV. 

EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  BAHAI 

TEACHING. 

In  order  to  produce  world  unity,  the  supersti- 
tions and  prejudices  of  past  ages  must  be  re- 
moved from  men's  minds.  Lack  of  education, 
creates  narrowness  and  prejudice;  education, 
brmgs  broadness  of  view,  and  sympathy  with 
others. 

The  past  systems  of  narrow  education  have 
tended  more  towards  perpetuating  than  eradicat- 
mg  mharmony  between  men.  The  follow- 
ers of  the  different  religious  systems,  being  at 
variance  with  one  another,  have  in  their  educa- 
tional systems  handed  down  to  coming  gen- 
erations the  prejudice,  ignorance  and  dogmatism 
of  past  generations,  thus  instilling  into  the 
children  all  the  soul-retarding  elements  which 
encumbered  the  natures  of  the  parents.  The  nat- 
ural tendency  of  man  has  been  to  remain  upon 
the  old  level  of  inharmony  rather  than  to  arise 
therefrom  by  his  own  will. 

Now,  in  this  enlightened  age,  there  has  ap- 
peared in  the  world  simultaneously  with  the 
Bahai  revelation,  a  new  order  of  educational 
methods.  Former  dogma  and  prejudice  are  no 
longer  taught  to  children,  and  the  minds  of  the 
youths  of  this  generation  are  not  thus  limited  and 
handicapped. 

In  fact,  in  this  day,  in  freeing  our  educational 
system  from  the  superstition,  prejudice  and 
dogma  of  the  past,  the  mistake  has  been  made 
of  eliminating,  also,  all  spiritual  precepts  from  the 
general  instruction  of  children.  Thinking  edu- 
cators are  beginning  to  see  the  demoralizing  re- 
sults of  the  lack  of  spiritual  instruction  in  the 
present  system ;  for  in  the  people  of  this  genera- 

91 


92  THK    BAHAI    MOVE:mi:NT 

tion  is  manifest,  to  an  alarming  degree,  the  in- 
roads of  certain  vices  against  which  they  are  un- 
able to  protect  themselves  because  of  the  want  of 
moral  and  spiritual  training  and  poise. 

It  is  an  all-round  education,  for  which  the 
Bahai  cause  stands.  Man  is  a  combination  of 
several  natures  and  his  general  well-being  de- 
pends upon  a  balanced  training  and  development. 
Bodily  he  must  train  and  develop  his  physical 
powers  in  order  to  have  a  good  and  perfect  or- 
ganism through  which  to  manifest  the  higher 
man.  Physically  and  mentally  he  must  train  and 
develop  the  powers  of  perception,  memory  and 
reason,  that  he  may  have  mental  organism 
through  which  to  manifest  the  higher  spiritual 
man.  Man's  spiritual  training  and  soul  develop- 
ment is  the  most  important  of  all  education.  This 
is  the  highest  and  greatest  power  within  his  be- 
ing; therefore  its  importance  cannot  be  overesti- 
mated. By  religious  and  spiritual  training  is  not 
meant  the  teaching  of  doctrine  or  creed,  but 
rather,  inculcating  into  man  the  knowledge  of 
the  Truth. 

When  man  has  attained  to  the  Bahai  concep- 
tion of  education,  he  is  indeed  educated  in  every 
sense  of  the  word.  This  is  the  only  education 
which  fully  fits  man  for  the  life  here,  as  well  as 
for  the  life  hereafter. 

The  Bahai  teaching  stands  for  the  higher  edu- 
cation of  woman.  In  some  recent  instructions 
sent  to  the  Orient,  Abdul-Baha  has  exhorted  the 
Bahais  to  give  their  daughters  every  possible  ed- 
ucational advantage,  telling  them  it  was  even 
more  necessary  that  their  girls  should  be  edu- 
cated than  their  boys,  because  women  are  the 
mothers  and  the  natural  teachers  of  men,  and  it 
is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  race  that  they 
be    highly    educated.      Already    several    Bahai 


THK    BAHAI    MOVEME^NT  93 

women  physicians  and  nurses  are  working  in 
Persia.  Their  work  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
among  the  women,  because  they  are  able  to  pene- 
trate into  the  seclusion  of  the  family  life  of  the 
people,  in  ways  not  open  to  men. 

Several  other  Americans,  Bahais,  have  gone  to 
Persia  as  teachers,  and  are  associated  there  with 
the  educational  work.  Quite  recently  a  girls' 
school  was  opened  by  the  Bahais  in  Teheran, 
and  from  the  last  accounts,  there  were  more 
scholars  than  could  be  accommodated.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  educational  work  is  being  carried 
on  in  all  of  the  oriental  countries,  where  there 
are  congregations  of  Believers.  Each  year  brings 
Bahai  students  to  Europe  and  America,  who 
after  completing  their  studies  return  to  their 
own  countries  as  teachers. 

Through  liberal  education  and  the  diffusion  of 
knowledge  and  wisdom,  both  spiritual  and  mate- 
rial, the  superstitions  and  limitations  of  the  past 
will  cease  to  exist,  all  people  will  be  in  sympathy 
with  humanity  as  a  whole,  and  each  individual 
will  consider  himself  a  citizen  of  the  world 
rather  than  exclusively  of  one  country,  and  one 
people. 


XVI. 

THE  BAHAI  MOVEMENT  AND  THE 
ECONOMIC  QUESTIONS  OF  THE  DAY. 

With  the  expansion  of  civiHzation  and  the  peo- 
pHng  of  the  world,  the  field  for  conquest 
is  so  rapidly  diminishing  that  alread}^  a 
great  change  has  been  produced  in  the 
economic  conditions  of  the  world.  Owing 
to  the  present  international  conditions,  and  the 
nearness  of  nations,  war  is  assuming  an  aspect 
more  detrimental  to  all  parties  than  it  has  ever 
had  in  the  past.  Arbitration  must  in  the  end 
supplant  national   conquest   and  warfare. 

Likewise,  the  warlike  methods  upon  which  the 
world's  commerce  has  been  conducted  will  ere 
long  become  obsolete,  because  of  the  passing  of 
the  conditions  which  made  those  methods  pos- 
sible. Commercial  relations  are  now  becoming 
so  intimate  between  nations,  that  co-operation  must 
eventually  take  the  place  of  the  present  warfare 
of  illegitimate  competition,  in  the  business  world. 

The  Bahai  cause  teaches  co-operation  in  all  af- 
fairs. Through  working  together  for  the  good  of 
the  mass,  rather  than  for  the  aggrandizement  of 
the  individual,  the  Bahais  anticipate  that  national 
and  economic  affairs  will  be  so  regulated  that 
comparatively  little  misery  will  exist  in  the 
world.  There  will  not  be  the  extremes  of  wealth 
and  poverty  which  now  exist  and  all  people,  both 
rich  and  poor,  will  be  better  off  than  now. 

Through  the  stable  financial  conditions  which 
co-operation  between  capital  and  labor  will  bring 
about  (co-operation  for  the  best  good  of  all 
concerned),  the  laborer  will  be  assured  of  a  live- 
lihood and  will  be  enabled  to  get  the  best  out  of 
life,  and,  upon  the  other  hand,  the  capitaUst  will 
be  less  on  the  defensive  and  less  burdened  than 

94 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  95 

he  is  now.  Because  of  the  co-operation  of  all 
classes,  the  wealthy  will  occupy  themselves  more 
with  matters  pertaining  to  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  people,  rather  than  seeking  mainly 
their  own  individual  enjoyment. 

As  people  come  into  the  spirit  of  the  Bahai 
teaching  and  see  the  virtue  of  co-operation,  and 
act  upon  this  principle,  the  great  economic  prob- 
lems which  now  threaten  the  world  with  dire 
calamities  will  disappear  and  give  place  to  insti- 
tutions for  the  highest  good  of  mankind,  through 
which  all  people  will  live  in  harmony,  in  happi- 
ness and  in  plenty.  The  Bahais  believe  that 
eventually  the  whole  world  will  recognize  the 
power  of  the  spiritual  principle  of  co-operation, 
and  will  apply  it  in  matters  of  every  day  life, 
thus  solving  life's  mighty  economic  problem  in 
all  of  its  details. 


XVII. 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  MAN. 

The  Bahais  teach  the  existence  of  five  king- 
doms,  planes,   divisions  or   kinds    of    creation : 

(1)  The  mineral  kingdom,  or  material  plane 
in  which  there  is  no  life  or  spirit,  in  the  ordinary- 
acceptance  of  the  term. 

(2)  The  vegetable  kingdom  or  physical  plane, 
in  which  there  is  the  lowest  form  of  spirit  or  life. 
This  plane  is  characterized  by  the  principle  of 
growth  and  fruition,  by  virtue  of  which  organ- 
isms develop  and  propagate  their  kind. 

(3)  The  animal  kingdom  or  psychical  plane, 
the  organisms  of  which  are  differentiated  from 
those  of  the  vegetable  plane  by  the  power  to  ap- 
prehend conditions  outside  of  themselves. 

(4)  The  human  kingdom,  that  of  man,  which 
is  differentiated  from  the  animal  condition  by 
the  intellectual  faculty,  by  virtue  of  which  man 
comprehends  ideas  in  the  abstract. 

(5)  The  divine  kingdom,  or  condition  of  spir- 
itual illumination,  which  is  differentiated  from 
the  human,  or  natural,  or  unspiritually  quickened 
state  of  the  soul,  by  consciousness  of  God.  By 
virtue  of  this  higher  hfe,  the  quickened  soul  ap- 
prehends spiritual  realities,  lives  in  spiritual  com- 
munion with  the  divine,  and  is  of  the  order  of 
The  Kingdom  of  God.  Unlike  the  vegetable,  an- 
imal and  human  kingdoms,  which  are  dependent 
for  existence  upon  earthly  conditions,  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  soul  is  dependent  upon 
those  peculiar  to  the  divine  realm.  These  con- 
ditions are  eternal,  therefore  the  life  of  divinely 
quickened  souls  is  eternal.  The  spiritual 
condition  in  which  those  souls  live  is  not  con- 
fined to  an  earthly  realm. 

Beyond  and  above  all  created  kind  is  the  Holy 

96 


THE    BAHAI    MOVI:me:nT  97 

Spirit  of  God,  uncreated  and  infinite,  unknow- 
able to  man  save  through  Its  Manifesta- 
tion, the  mediator  between  God  and  His 
children  here  upon  earth.  Divinely  quickened 
man  is  the  highest  of  the  creatures,  above  which 
there  is  no  creation.  From  his  beginning  man 
was  created  man — a  distinct  species.  In  the  early 
days  of  man  upon  earth,  in  many  respects  he 
more  resembled  the  animal  than  he  did  the  man 
type  of  today.  But  from  his  first  appear- 
ance there  was  in  him  that  human  spirit, 
apart  and  of  a  different  kind  from  the 
animal,  which,  though  at  first  hidden,  has  evolved 
into  the  type  of  man  that  we  now  know.  In 
the  coming  age  of  divine  development,  humanity 
will  continue  evolving  to  a  far  higher  state 
than  it  now  has  attained.  Man,  never 
having  been  anything  but  man,  can  never  evolve 
out  of  the  kingdom  of  his  own  kind  and  species. 
He  will,  however,  be  approaching  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  perfect  type  of  spiritual  manhood 
and  perfection. 


XVIII. 

THE  METHOD  OF  TEACHING  AND  THE 
GROWTH  OF  THE  BAHAI  MOVEMENT. 

The  method  of  Bahai  teaching  is  constructive, 
in  every  sense.  In  presenting  this  cause  to  a  soul, 
the  teacher's  first  step  is  to  confirm  the  seeker  in 
the  truth  of  his  own  reHgion,  and  upon 
that,  as  a  foundation,  place  this  latter-day 
teaching.  Argument  and  dispute  have  no 
place  in  this  cause.  The  teaching  is  quietly 
yet  fearlessly  given,  and  then  the  matter  is  left 
v^ith  the  listener  and  God.  People  are  not  urged 
or  enticed,  but  rather,  through  love,  are  attracted 
to  the  cause. 

It  has  been  found,  when  two  or  more  souls 
come  together  to  discuss  religious  matters  with 
perfect  love  in  their  hearts,  the  result  is  always 
uplifting  and  conducive  to  edification.  When 
people  meet  together  for  religious  discus- 
sion without  this  spirit  of  true  charity  in  their 
hearts,  the  result  is  always  distressing,  and  it 
would  have  been  better  had  they  not  met.  This 
principle  of  the  power  of  love  the  Bahais  under- 
stand, and  they  rely  upon  it  and  not  upon  argu- 
ments presented  from  the  plane  of  intellect  alone. 

In  order  to  combat  evil  the  soul  should  be  filled 
with  love  and  truth.  Fear,  together  with  all  its 
attending  destructive  forces,  disappears  in  the 
presence  of  faith  and  assurance.  The  Bahai 
teaching  is  one  of  joy  and  gladness.  True  spirit- 
uality is  profound  yet  not  depressing,  and  while 
uplifting,  is  free  from  levity.  Truth  and  love  are 
in  the  world  to  lift  people  up  from  suffering  and 
depression,  and  should,  therefore,  be  presented 
as  they  are,  full  of  joy.  The  Bahais  are  taught 
at  all  times  to  manifest  in  their  thoughts,  words 
and  actions  the  joy  of  the  Lord.     It  is  only  by 

98 


THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT  99 

showing  forth  a  joyful  and  happy  spirit,  and 
by  loving  service  to  humanity,  that  suffering  and 
seeking  souls  are  attracted  and  brought  under  the 
power  of  the  quickening  spirit  of  the  cause. 
Through  kind  and  loving  service  to  all  humanity, 
to  friend  and  foe  alike,  the  Bahais  have  a  most 
powerful  weapon  with  which  to  combat  religious 
prejudice  and  spiritual  ignorance.  Even  the  most 
difficult  people  are  won  through  continued  kind- 
ness. Once  attracted,  the  hungry  soul  recog- 
nizes and  accepts  the  Truth.  The  Bahai  teach- 
ers find  that  when  a  soul  is  reached  by  their 
teaching,  whether  a  Christian,  Moslem,  Jew  or 
Buddhist,  the  truth  at  once  appeals  to  his  inner 
nature,  and  he  will  usually  say,  "This  is  exactly 
what  I  have  always  believed". 

Having  no  organization,  ritual,  or  priesthood 
after  the  manner  of  other  religions,  the  Bahais 
are  opposing  the  work  of  no  other  religious  bod- 
ies. It  is  a  world-wide  movement,  the  spirit  of 
which  is  working  unhindered  and  unbound  by 
confines  and  barriers  of  sect  and  ism.  The 
Bahais  see  and  recognize  truth  and  spiritual 
beauty  wherever  found,  and  through  this 
attitude  of  love  and  tolerance  for  all,  they  find  at 
every  hand,  among  the  people  of  other  religious 
bodies,  the  opportunity  of  sharing  the  spirit  of 
their  faith. 

Often  people  inquire  whether  affiliation  with 
the  Bahai  cause  necessitates  the  giving  up  of 
church  membership.  The  advice  is  always  that 
no  human  or  religious  relations  should  be  sev- 
ered, but  that  these  relations  should  become  as 
avenues  for  giving  forth  the  message  and  the 
spirit  of  the  Bahai  faith.  People  having  church 
relations  continue  to  mingle  with  church  peo- 
ple. However,  they  do  not  remain  silent  about 
the  new  light  which  has  come  to  them.     When 


100  THE   BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

ever  they  find  prepared  souls,  they  give  them  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  coming  of  The  Lord  in  His 
Kingdom,  and  thus  they  diffuse  the  knowledge 
and  spirit  of  the  Truth. 

Where  there  are  several  sympathizers  in  the 
work  in  the  same  vicinity,  regular  meetings  are 
established.  At  these  reunions  the  sacred  writ- 
ings are  read,  the  teachings  are  explained,  and 
seekers  are  welcomed.  As  these  groups  increase 
in  numbers,  they  become  known  as  ''Assemblies." 
In  the  assemblies  certain  people  are  usually  se- 
lected to  serve.  These  confer  together  and  ar- 
range for  meetings,  publications,  and  other 
matters  in  connection  with  the  carrying  on  of  the 
work. 

There  is  no  distinction  such  as  teacher  or  pu- 
pil. All  are  teachers  and  at  the  same  time  all  are 
pupils.  Contributions  are  not  solicited.  The 
cause  must  first  find  root  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  then  the  people  will  of  themselves  arise 
to  serve  it.  When  a  soul  realizes  the  greatness 
of  the  privilege  of  aiding  the  Bahai  work,  then 
he  assists,  in  the  measure  in  which  he  is  able, 
his  own  heart  being  his  guide. 

The  Bahais  are  working  toward  the  great  end 
of  uniting  all  races  and  religions  in  the  Love  of 
the  Lord.  They  are  impelled  by  no  other  motive 
than  the  Love  of  God.  They  are  not  looking  for 
results,  theirs  is  the  satisfaction  of  service,  and 
there  is  no  other  satisfaction  or  pleasure  which 
can  approach  that  joy,  the  joy  of  serving  God. 

One  of  the  questions  the  Bahais  are  often 
asked,  is  regarding  the  number  of  those  who  pro- 
fess this  faith.  The  reason  for  their  inability 
to  answer  is  quite  clear  to  those  who  realize  that 
the  object  of  this  movement  is  to  leaven  the 
whole  lump  of  humanity,  with  its  numerous  divi- 
sions, rather  than  to  precipitate  another  sect  upon 


THi:  BAHAi  move:me:nt  101 

the  many  already  existent.  Having  no  form  of 
membership,  the  Bahais  make  no  attempt  to  esti- 
mate their  number.  Their  strength  is  a  spiritual 
strength,  not  to  be  measured  numerically.  Even 
were  it  possible  to  know  the  exact  number  of  Ba- 
hais in  the  world,  this  reckoning  would  be  of 
short  duration  because  the  movement  is  growing 
continually,  interest  in  it  is  increasing,  and  the 
hearts  of  people  are  daily  becoming  more  at- 
tracted, and  more  confirmed  in  the  truth. 

The  Bahais  are  widely  distributed  throughout 
the  world.  During  the  days  of  The  Bab,  His 
cause  was  confined  principally  to  Persia,  though 
He  had  adherents  also  in  Turkey  and  in 
neighboring  countries.  With  the  rise  of  Baha- 
'o'llah,  this  field  of  work  was  extended.  The 
Bahai  teachers  went  north  into  Caucasia,  Rus- 
sia and  Turkestan,  south  into  India,  east  into 
Burma  and  later  on  into  China.  With  Baha- 
'o'llah's  exile  in  Turkey,  Roumelia  and  Syria,  His 
cause  spread  in  those  countries  as  well  as  in 
Egypt  and  in  Arabia. 

The  establishment  of  the  Bahai  cause  in  the 
West  has  been  accompHshed  under  the  ministry 
of  Abdul-Baha.  In  the  year  1894,  a  small  group 
of  people  in  the  city  of  Chicago  became  interested 
in  the  Revelation.  Later,  similar  groups  were 
formed  in  New  York,  Washington,  and  San 
Francisco.  In  the  winter  of  1898-99,  the  first 
band  of  American  Bahai  pilgrims  crossed  the 
seas  to  visit  Abdul-Baha,  then  in  exile  in  the 
Holy  Land.  Up  to  that  time  the  communication 
between  the  American  Bahais  and  Abdul-Baha 
had  been  by  writing  only.  Then,  with  the  added 
impetus  of  Abdul-Baha's  personal  touch,  these 
American  pilgrims  returned  to  the  West  with  re- 
newed zeal  and  desire  to  spread  the  cause. 

From  the  enthusiasm  of  this  first  band  of  trav- 


102  the:  bahai  movement 

elers,  new  centers  of  the  teaching  were  founded 
in  France,  England  and  America.  From  these 
as  a  nucleus  have  developed  Believers,  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  States,  in  Canada,  Mexico,  Hawaii, 
Japan  and  Australia,  as  well  as  in  various  parts 
of  Germany,  Switzerland  and  Italy.  During  this 
period  of  growth,  several  Bahai  teachers  from 
the  Orient  have  traveled  through  Europe  and 
America,  instructing  and  teaching  the  people  and 
helping  to  establish  new  centers.  Likewise,  teach- 
ers from  the  Occident  have  traveled  and  taught 
in  the  oriental  countries.  Quietly  and  slowly 
the  cause  has  grown  amid  all  varieties  of  hu- 
man conditions,  among  peoples  of  every  religion, 
race  and  clime.  In  the  growth  and  progress  of 
the  Bahai  Movement  is  demonstrated  its  uni- 
versal spiritual  power.  Accepted  by  people  of 
every  condition,  it  is  making  inroads  into  their 
souls,  as  leaven ;  it  is  uniting  these  many  hetero- 
geneous elements  into  one  homogeneous  world- 
people. 


XIX. 

A  PERSONAL  TESTIMONY 

In  the  preceding  chapters  of  this  book  I  have 
attempted  to  give  a  general  resume  of  the  his- 
tory and  teaching  of  the  Bahai  cause,  and  the 
work  now  being  accomphshed.  Here  it  is  my  de- 
sire to  relate  to  the  reader  a  few  of  my  own  ex- 
periences in  connection  with  this  cause.  During 
the  past  twelve  years,  it  has  been  my  privilege  to 
visit  Abdul-Baha  several  times  and  to  travel  ex- 
tensively among  the  Bahais  in  foreign  lands.  It 
is  with  the  desire  of  sharing  the  inspiration  re- 
ceived from  Abdul-Baha  and  from  his  follow- 
ers, that  I  am  presuming  to  record  these  personal 
observations. 

My  first  visit  to  Abdul-Baha  was  in  the  winter 
of  1901.  At  that  time  the  cause  in  the  West  was 
in  its  infancy  and  was  passing  through  a  critical 
period  of  its  growth.  But  few  of  the  words  of 
Baha'o'llah  and  Abdul-Baha  had  been  translated, 
and  the  believers,  though  fired  with  faith  and  a 
great  desire  to  disseminate  the  teachings  had  as 
yet,  learned  but  little  of  the  spiritual  principles 
of  the  cause.  Consequently  there  was  a  general 
lack  of  harmony  of  ideas  among  the  adherents, 
which  caused  much  confusion.  It  was  against 
such  odds  that  Abdul-Baha  was  heroically  strug- 
gling. 

At  that  time  he  was  in  comparative  ease, 
having  been  allowed  to  leave  the  prison  city  of 
Akka  with  its  unhealthy  climate,  and  was  spend- 
ing the  winter  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Haifa. 
Notwithstanding  this  betterment  in  the  condi- 
tions of  Abdul-Baha's  outer  life,  one  felt  the 
weight  which  was  upon  his  soul  and  saw  how  his 
spirit  was  taxed  in  his  endeavor  to  teach  and 
train  the  people  in  ,the  way  of  The  Kingdom. 

103 


104:  the;  bahai  move:ment 

I  recall  an  incident  which  showed  the  stress 
under  which  he,  at  that  time,  was  laboring.  One 
night  after  a  busy  day  of  teaching  and  letter 
writing  he  had  gathered  twenty  or  more  of  us  at 
his  table  for  the  late  evening  meal.  We  were 
about  half  through  with  the  repast,  when  some 
one  made  an  allusion  to  some  difficulty  among 
the  believers  in  America.  Abdul-Baha  looked 
very  serious,  then  in  evident  distress  of  both 
mind  and  body  he  arose  from  the  table  and  left 
the  room.  As  he  went  through  the  door  his  aba 
(cloak)  fell  from  his  shoulders  to  the  floor. 
Gathering  it  up  I  hurriedly  followed  him  to 
the  terrace  in  front  of  the  house.  Scarcely  touch- 
ing him  I  slipped  the  cloak  over  his  shoulders. 
He  did  not  notice  the  incident,  so  troubled  and 
absorbed  was  he  as  he  passed  out  into  the  night. 

For  over  a  year  before  I  first  met  Abdul- 
Baha,  I  had  been  a  believer  in  the  Bahai  cause, 
so  when  I  went  to  him  it  was  not  to  have  my 
faith  established  but  rather  to  have  it  confirmed, 
and  to  gain  knowledge.  In  the  accomplishment 
of  this,  Abdul-Baha  helped  through  his  un- 
derstanding of  me.  From  the  moment  I  met 
him  I  realized  he  understood  me  perfectly, 
as  an  old  friend.  Thus  a  bond  was  established, 
which  has  always  been  a  source  of  joy,  delight, 
and  help  to  me,  for  each  visit  I  have  had  with 
him,  and  every  tablet  (letter)  and  message  re- 
ceived from  him,  has  strengthened  this  un- 
derstanding and  has  demonstrated  to  me  again 
and  again,  Abdul-Baha's  all-penetrating  spiritual 
sight  and  wisdom.  Notwithstanding  the  distance 
and  circumstances  which  separate  Abdul-Baha 
from  his  friends,  when  they  receive  his  tablets 
they  find  advices  and  admonitions  peculiarly  ap- 
plicable to  them  in  their  needs  of  that  moment. 

During  the  eleven  days  I  remained  in  Haifa, 


THE    BAHAI    MOVE:me:nT  105 

I  had  this  phase  of  Abdul-Baha's  personaHty 
deeply  engraved  on  my  mind.  All  was  not  easy 
to  understand.  I  had  various  spiritual  ups  and 
downs  until  shortly  before  I  left  him,  then 
everything  became  very  clear  and  my  spiritual 
rapport  with  him  was  established.  The  moment 
of  our  parting  was  a  happy  one  for  me,  because 
I  felt  that  I  was  carrying  away  with  me  some- 
thing which  could  never  be  destroyed,  a  spiritual 
friendship  which  would  grow  eternally,  both 
here  and  in  the  future  realm. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1901,  shortly  after  my 
first  visit,  an  order  was  issued  sending  Abdul- 
Baha  back  to  the  prison  city  of  Akka.  There  he 
remained  for  seven  years,  with  the  exception  of 
a  short  period,  when  upon  several  occasions  he 
was  permitted  to  visit  the  tomb  of  Baha'o'llah  at 
Behje,  a  mile  or  two  beyond  the  city  gates.  Dur- 
ing this  period  of  imprisonment,  it  was  at  times 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  pilgrims  were  able 
to  see  Abdul-Baha,  nevertheless  this  was  a  great 
period  of  growth  in  the  cause.  Abdul-Baha 
worked  diligently  with  his  pen  and  the  result  of 
his  labors  became  apparent  among  the  Bahais  in 
all  parts  of  the  world. 

Six  years  elapsed  between  my  first  and 
second  visits  to  Abdul-Baha,  during  which 
interim  he  had  been  confined  to  the  for- 
tress. Knowing  that  some  recent  pilgrims  had 
remained  nine  days  in  Akka,  I  had  rather  set  my 
mind  upon  a  visit  of  the  same  length.  On  reach- 
ing Haifa  I  was  told  that,  on  account  of  the 
troublous  conditions  surrounding  Abdul-Baha, 
I  would  be  able  to  remain  with  him  but  a  few 
hours.  At  first  the  thought  of  so  short  a  visit 
was  a  keen  disappointment.  Upon  second 
thought,  however,  my  mental  attitude  changed 


106  THK    BAHAI    MOVE^MENT 

and  I  realized  fully  that  Abdul-Baha  understood 
and  was  planning  for  the  best. 

\\'hether  one  is  benefitted  by  meeting  Abdul- 
Baha  depends  upon  really  meeting  him  spiritual- 
ly. It  is  the  open,  unprejudiced  and  seeking  souls 
which  unite  with  the  soul  of  Abdul-Baha.  When 
this  spiritual  contact  is  effected,  the  personal  visit 
to  him  is  not  essential  for  enlightenment,  for, 
with  spiritual  connection  between  the  souls  of 
Abdul-Baha  (the  heart  of  the  Bahai  movement) 
and  the  believers  (the  members  of  the  body  of 
the  movement),  these  souls  are  one  with  him, 
and  through  this  unity  his  divine  wisdom  and 
love  go  forth  to  all  his  followers. 

Although  my  second  visit  with  Abdul-Baha 
was  very  short,  I  would  not  have  wished  it  other- 
wise. Again  I  left  him  in  great  joy  with  my 
soul  overflowing  with  the  love  of  The  Kingdom, 
which  he  so  freely  radiates.  The  one  great  les- 
son wdiich  he  taught  me  at  that  time  was  dispell- 
ing (negative)  fear  with  (positive)  assurance. 

The  natural  tendency  of  man  is  often  to  fear 
people  and  to  shut  himself  away  from  them. 
This  becomes  a  habit  and  one  which  causes 
much  ill  ease,  and  this  condition  I  was  just 
beginning  to  realize.  Not  from  anything 
which  Abdul-Baha  said  to  me,  but  through 
the  way  in  which  he  received  and  treated 
me  I  saw  clearly  that  I  could  not  serve  him  in 
the  cause  and  continue  to  remain  inwardly  aloof 
from  people.  I  saw  that  it  was  because  of  Ab- 
dul-Baha's  freedom  from  constraint,  and 
through  his  fearlessness  and  his  friendly  way  of 
approaching  people,  his  frank  expression  of  love, 
faith  and  assurance,  that  he  was  able  to  reach 
the  souls  of  men  and  impart  to  them  his  courage 
and  wisdom. 

Abdul-Baha  throws  himself  into  the  lives  of 


the:  bahai  move:me:nt  107 

all  about  him.  Through  this  contact  he  undoubt- 
edly suffers  much,  nevertheless,  thus  he  is  en- 
abled to  reach  the  people  and  to  minister  to  them. 
His  fearlessness,  combined  with  gentleness  and 
humility  in  approaching  people,  was  a  lesson  to 
me,  for  in  his  method  I  saw  the  way  in  which 
Abdul-Baha's  followers  must  live  in  order  to 
do  his  work  among  men. 

My  next  visit  to  Abdul-Baha  was  at  the  cul- 
mmation  of  his  troubles  and  difficulties  just  pre- 
vious to  the  fall  of  the  former  despotic  Ottoman 
power,  and  the  re-establishment  of  the  consti- 
tutional government  in  the  midsummer  of  1908. 
Upon  arriving  in  Haifa,  I  found  that  some  re- 
cent American  pilgrims  had  not  been  able  to 
meet  Abdul-Baha,  but  had  returned  to  America 
happy  in  having  seen  him  from  a  distance  as  he 
walked  upon  an  elevated  balcony  on  his  house 
within  the  fortifications  of  Akka.  Four  Arabs, 
recent  converts  to  the  faith,  on  account  of  their 
belief  had  for  several  months  been  confined  in 
the  prison  of  the  fortress.  Others  of  the  Bahais, 
in  order  to  avoid  pending  trouble,  by  Abdul- 
Baha's  advice  had  sought  temporary  refuge  in 
Egypt,  while  those  remaining  in  Syria  were  all 
but  panic  stricken  by  the  trouble  and  persecu- 
tions which  were  daily  descending  upon  the 
Bahai  community  from  the  hands  of  the  un- 
scrupulous government  officials. 

After  remaining  several  days  in  Haifa,  word 
came  from  Abdul-Baha  for  me  to  go  to  Akka 
and  proceed  to  the  house  of  a  certain  Persian 
gentleman,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  faithful 
of  the  believers.  In  the  guise  of  a  native  Syrian 
and  with  the  assistance  of  one  of  the  oriental 
Bahais,  I  entered  the  prison  city,  passing  through 
the  various  guarded  gates  without  being  halted. 
Once  established  in  the  privacy  of  the  house  of 


108  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

the  friend,  Abdul-Baha  having  the  freedom  of 
the  city  within  the  fortifications,  came  to  see  me 
several  times. 

Though  under  the  most  severe  physical  diffi- 
culties, Abdul-Baha  was  visibly  in  the  greatest 
spiritual  strength  and  power.  In  strong  contrast 
with  the  fear  and  terror  of  his  followers,  im- 
possible to  describe,  Abdul-Baha  stood  forth  in 
the  greatest  of  joy  of  soul  and  tranquility  of 
spirit.  He  radiated  calmness  and  assurance,  and 
through  his  strength  the  community  of  the 
friends  was  saved  from  despair  and  from  the 
disaster  which  would  have  accompanied  the  loss 
of  hope  at  such  a  moment.  This  situation  was 
dramatic  in  the  extreme.  It  was  shortly  followed 
by  the  tragic  downfall  of  the  government  that  for 
forty  years  had  held  Abdul-Baha  a  prisoner. 

Several  months  later  I  was  again  permitted  to 
travel  in  Syria  and  visit  Abdul-Baha.  Although 
it  had  not  been  long  in  point  of  time  since  my 
previous  visit,  yet  the  conditions  surrounding 
Abdul-Baha  had  so  changed  as  to  make  the 
previous  time  seem,  by  comparison,  to  have  been 
in  a  former  decade.  Abdul-Baha  was  free.  The 
uttermost  liberty  existed.  Akka  had  ceased  to 
be  a  penal  colony  and  the  gates  were  no  longer 
guarded. 

The  Bahais  had  not  yet  recovered  from  their 
first  ecstasy  of  joy  over  the  freedom  of  Abdul- 
Baha,  yet  through  all  this  manifest  jubilation 
he  was  conducting  his  work  as  usual.  It 
was  then  that  I  realized,  to  the  extent  of  my 
capacity,  how  far  above  this  world's  conditions 
Abdul-Baha  stands.  Not  discouraged  by  criti- 
cism, persecution,  calamity;  not  elated  by  ap- 
plause, commendation  nor  good  fortune,  he 
stands  apart  from  the  world  upon  a  firm  rock, 
the  spiritual  foundation  of  The  Kingdom.     By 


THE    BAHAI    MOVE:ME:nT  109 

virtue  of  this  severance  from  all  save  God,  he  is 
enabled  to  change  the  current  of  the  world's 
thought  from  materiality  to  spirituality,  and  to 
create  in  men's  souls  the  fire  of  God's  love. 

Almost  two  years  after  the  great  change  in 
Turkey,  I  again  went  to  Syria.  In  coming  in 
contact  with  Abdul-Baha  each  soul  receives  the 
message,  or  the  lesson,  for  which  it  is  then  ready 
and  prepared  to  receive.  Previously  my  at- 
tention had  been  chiefly  called  to  those  principles 
for  which  Abdul-Baha  stands,  which  are  so 
clearly  manifested  in  his  life,  while  his  person- 
ality, as  a  man  in  the  world,  had  impressed  me 
but  little.  Now,  this  which  previously  I  had  al- 
lowed to  pass  almost  unnoticed  was  to  be  my 
chief  lesson. 

I  saw  the  exquisite  beauty  of  Abdul-Baha's 
personality  from  lines  of  physical  strength  and 
refinement  in  his  face,  to  his  trained  thought 
and  judgment.  His  dignity  and  carriage,  his 
mental  grasp  of  things  both  great  and  small,  and 
the  manner  in  which  he  dealt  with  them  in  pro- 
portion to  their  importance,  were  all  of  the  deep- 
est interest  to  me. 

In  his  person  one  sees  at  once  the  power  of  the 
spirit  as  well  as  its  gentle,  refining  qual- 
ities, a  combination  of  strength  and  delicacy,  of 
masculine  and  feminine  qualities;  the  balanced 
combination  of  dignity,  humility,  forcefulness 
.and  gentleness. 

Whatever  may  be  one's  mental  conception  of 
Abdul-Baha,  one  must  invariably  readjust  it 
from  time  to  time.  Under  his  guidance,  his 
followers  are  growing  in  spiritual  stature,  and 
as  the  perceptive  powers  of  the  soul  increase, 
one  sees  more  and  more  clearly  Abdul-Baha's 
spiritual  power  and  divine  mission.  Were  one 
to  visit  him  many  times,  each  time  his  former 


110  the:  bahai  move:me:nt. 

idea  would  be  laid  aside  for  a  clearer  and  a  more 
defined  conception. 

My  last  visit  with  Abdul-Baha  was  in  Septem- 
ber, 1911,  during  his  sojourn  in  London,  Eng- 
land. There  he  was  in  the  vortex  of  western 
civilization,  sought  by  many  people  from  various 
walks  of  life,  both  high  and  low.  Under  these 
conditions  his  spirit  shone  forth  with  greater 
brilliancy  than  ever  before. 

It  is  natural  and  easy  for  the  western  mind  to 
weave  a  halo  of  sentiment  and  romance  about 
the  personality  of  a  persecuted  religious  leader, 
exiled  and  imprisoned  for  his  faith  under  the 
corrupt  rule  of  an  oriental  despot;  but,  when 
this  same  spiritual  teacher  comes  into  the  lime- 
light of  western  thought  and  customs,  the  people 
see  him  from  a  different  angle;  things  which 
they  but  imagined  about  him  are  dispelled,  and 
his  real  virtues  stand  out  more  strikingly  visible 
than  ever. 

Abdul-Baha,  stripped  of  his  accustomed  ori- 
ental environment,  appeared  more  clearly  than 
ever  to  be  the  master  of  the  spiritual  situation. 
I  heard  him  give  the  first  public  address  that  he 
had  ever  made,  before  a  vast  concourse  of  about 
2,000  souls,  and  I  was  also  with  him  during  a 
number  of  personal  interviews  granted  to  vari- 
ous truth  seekers.  At  all  times  under  these  un- 
accustomed conditions  he  drew  unto  himself  all 
people,  and  through  his  love,  wisdom  and  power, 
gave  them  spiritual  assurance  and  satisfaction. 

One  afternoon  some  one  asked  Abdul-Baha 
regarding  the  relation  of  his  mission  to  that  of 
the  great  Manifestation,  Baha'o'llah.  He  re- 
plied by  saying,  "Baha'o'llah  is  the  root  of  the 
tree  of  The  Kingdom,  while  I  am  the  branch, 
branched  from  that  pre-existent  root.    The  fruit 


the:  bahai  movement  111 

of  the  tree  appears  upon  the  branches,  not  upon 
the  roots." 

The  most  potent  of  all  factors  in  moving  hu- 
manity is  loz^e;  it  is  at  the  same  time  the  most 
elusive  and  the  most  difficult  of  all  things  to  de- 
fine. We  know  it  only  through  its  characteris- 
tics, and  these  we  never  fail  to  recognize.  So  it 
is  with  tnie  religion.  There  is  a  spiritual  force, 
which  is  divine  love,  working  in  it  that  is  its 
very  life  force.  When  one  feels  his  soul  re- 
sponding to  this,  he  realizes  that  he  has  come 
into  contact  with  a  higher  realm,  and  though  he 
cannot  describe  this  awakening  in  so  many 
words,  it  is  none  the  less  to  him  the  most  real 
of  all  things. 

In  these  latter  days,  when  "prophets"  and 
''new  religions"  are  so  abundant,  one  naturally 
wonders  how  to  distinguish  truth  from  error, 
and  how  to  recognize  the  Lord's  anointed  one 
from  among  many  men.  The  difficulty  was 
solved  almost  two  thousand  years  ago  by  him 
v/ho  said,  ''By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them". 

To  him  who  has  traveled  and  lived  among  the 
Bahais  and  has  seen  the  effect  of  this  cause  upon 
the  lives  of  peoples  of  every  race  and  religion, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  divine  source  of 
its  teachings,  for  in  the  fruits  of  the  Bahai  cause 
is  manifest  its  truth. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  travel  among,  and 
to  associate  with,  the  Bahais  in  many  foreign 
countries,  and  I  can  testify  to  the  spiritual  qual- 
ities manifested  in  their  lives.  Often  I  have 
been  in  a  position  where  I  have  been  obliged  to 
place  myself  entirely  in  the  hands  of  strange 
men,  whose  language  I  could  not  speak,  the  only 
thing  which  we  had  in  common  being  our  faith. 
I  say  the  only  thing  was  our  faith,  yet  this  was 
everything  because  that  faith  was  large  enough 
to  encompass  all  things. 


112  THE    BAHAI    MOVEIMENT 

Western  travelers  whom  I  have  met  in 
the  oriental  countries  have  been  surprised 
that  I  trusted  myself  in  out-of-the-way 
places  and  along  unfrequented  routes  of 
travel,  alone  with  the  oriental  people  as  my  sole 
companions  and  friends.  When  one  is  sur- 
rounded by  friends,  his  personal  welfare  is  sel- 
dom a  subject  of  worry.  I  can  truthfully  state 
that  never  have  I  felt  more  at  ease  and  free  from 
care  than  when  I  have  been  with  the  oriental 
Bahais.  Wherever  I  happened  to  be  with  them, 
I  have  always  had  a  warmth  of  hospitality  and 
kindness  lavished  upon  me.  This  was  not  be- 
cause of  any  other  reason  than  that  I  was  of 
their  faith. 

Between  the  Bahais  of  the  East  and  those  of 
the  West  there  exists  the  strongest  tie.  Since  it 
was  through  the  suffering,  pain,  and  trials  of  the 
Bahais  of  the  Orient  that  this  faith  had  its  first 
growth  and  was  brought  to  the  West,  the  west- 
ern Bahais  look  toward  their  eastern  brothers 
and  sisters  with  deepest  feelings  of  love  and 
gratitude.  Western  Bahais  have  in  their  souls  a 
strong  love  for  the  eastern  Bahais  and  a  burning 
desire  to  go  to  them  sharing  with  them  all  the 
practical  things  of  the  western  civilization. 

Upon  the  other  hand,  in  the  growth  of  the 
Bahai  cause  here  in  the  West  the  oriental  Ba- 
hais see  the  result  of  their  labors,  for  these  be- 
lievers are  their  spiritual  offspring.  They 
see  the  fruit  of  their  bloody  persecution  and 
great  sufferings,  and  with  open  and  joyful  hearts 
they  are  anxious  to  receive  into  their  very  lives 
their  western  brothers  and  sisters,  learning  from 
them  and  in  turn  pouring  out  upon  them,  all  of 
that  wealth  of  devotion,  love,  and  spiritual  as- 
surance, which  the  people  of  the  East  have  and 
which  the  people  of  the  West  need. 


the:  bahai  move;mknt  113 

Among  the  Bahais  there  is  a  practical  demon- 
stration of  a  combined  rehgious  and  secular 
unity.  Good  works  are  not  done  under  the  name 
of  ''charity"  nor  ''philanthropy".  Rather,  it  is 
"reciprocation"  and  "interdependence".  Each 
gives  what  he  has  to  give,  and  through  the  spirit 
of  giving  and  doing  in  loving  service,  ones  own 
nature  unfolds  and  he  himself  receives  abund- 
antly. 

Particularly  in  the  Orient  the  contrast  between 
the  Bahais  and  other  people  is  very  striking. 
There,  the  average  Orientals  and  Occidentals, 
meet  without  mingling,  each  remaining  foreign 
to  the  other,  but  the  opposite  is  true  with  these 
very  same  people  when  they  are  touched  by  the 
Bahai  spirit,  for  then  we  see  them  associating 
with  one  another  as  members  of  one  family,  hav- 
ing the  same  interests  and  desires,  and  united  in 
the  same  works. 

Among  the  oriental  Bahais  there  is  a  love  and 
a  devotion  to  this  cause  and  its  principles,  im- 
possible to  describe.  It  is  beyond  comprehension 
to  understand,  yet  one  recognizes  it. 

In  many  countries  and  among  people  of  every 
race  and  of  every  religion  I  found  such  a  warm 
welcome  and  had  such  friendship  and  de- 
votion showered  upon  me,  simply  because  I  was 
a  Bahai,  that  I  felt  and  saw  the  blending  process 
at  work,  uniting  the  East  and  the  West.  This 
is  a  force  working  independently  of  material 
conditions.  I  saw  it  working  under  all  condi- 
tions and  amid  all  surroundings,  from  those  of 
the  half-naked  jungleman  living  in  his  hut,  to 
those  of  the  cultured  man  of  wealth  dwelling  in 
his  palace.  This  spiritual  love,  which  is  of  God, 
is  the  strongest  power  in  creation.  In  its  uniting 
force  is  the  foundation  of  accord  and  harmony 
upon  which    the  Orient  and    the    Occident  are 


114  THE    BAHAI    MOVEMENT 

meeting.  From  this  movement  will  appear,  as 
fniits,  all  of  those  social  institutions  between  the 
East  and  the  West,  which  will  materially  demon- 
strate the  truths  which  the  Bahais  now  witness 
as  spiritual  realities. 

In  Persia  I  found  the  Bahais  struggling 
against  great  opposition  upon  the  part  of  those 
surrounding  them,  in  their  work  of  uplifting 
and  educating  woman.  While  in  that  country,  I 
met  Bahai  women  who  are  doing  great  work  for 
their  own  sex.  Until  recently  this  work,  for  the 
most  part,  has  been  very  quietly  done,  in  fact 
almost  in  secret,  on  account  of  the  persecution 
by  the  Moslems,  whose  traditions  regarding  the 
seclusion  and  oppression  of  women,  the  Bahais 
are  undermining. 

I  found  the  Persian  believers  to  be  most 
stanch  and  courageous  people.  While  the  great 
massacres  and  martyrdoms  of  the  Bahais  in  that 
land  are  probably  now  a  thing  of  the  past,  never- 
theless the  Bahais  are  still  under  persecution 
and  even  in  these  days  it  sometimes  leads  to  loss 

of  life. 

Many  men  whom  I  met  had  been  eyewitnesses 
to  the  massacres  of  the  80's,  in  which  so  many  of 
our  people  died  for  their  faith,  while  others  with 
whom  I  talked  had  lost  both  family  and  prop- 
erty. One  impression  which  I  recall  very  vividly, 
was  the  calm  way,  free  from  any  trace  of  rancor, 
in  which  the  Persian  Bahais  referred  to  the  losses 
and  afflictions  visited  upon  them  by  the  enemies 
of  the  cause.  Instead  of  causing  embitterment, 
these  troubles  have  had  a  most  spiritualizing  ef- 
fect upon  the  believers,  for  the  persecution  has 
been  as  a  fire  which  has  taken  everything  from 
them  save  the  love  of  God,  with  which  their 
hearts  are  ablaze. 

After     a     visit     among     these     people,     one 


THE    BAHAI    MO\^MEXT  115 

feels  spiritually  better  and  stronger  than  before 
absorbing  a  force  from  them  which  gives  cour- 
age m  moments  of  weakness  and  guidance  in 
nioments  of  strength.  This  is  the  spirit  which 
abides  with  those  who  are  in  reality  severed 
from  all  save  God.  It  is  this  spirit  which  is 
manifest  m  the  life  and  teaching  of  Abdul-Baha, 
and  m  the  lives  of  those  who  in  spirit  follow  the 
principles  for  which  he  stands. 


-r^'.c.^.i^ 


a 


NOTICE 

Copies  of  this  book  will  be  shipped  pre-paid  to 
any  address,  upon  the  receipt  of  sixty  cents.  Ap- 
ply to  one  of  the  following  centers : 

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Address  Miss  Mary  Lesch,  5205  Jefferson  Ave. 

Chicago,  111. 

The  Bahai  Assembly  of  New  York, 
226  West  58th  St.  New  York  City. 

The  Bahai  Assembly  of  Washington, 
P.  O.  Box  192  Washington,  D.  C. 


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